Elon Musk told the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington in January 2026 that advances in artificial intelligence and robotics could eventually make work optional rather than a necessity for people to earn a living, Fortune reported. He suggested that machines could produce many goods and services, leaving humans to work mainly for interest, purpose or personal satisfaction. In a video clip posted by Meteoric.AI on Instagram, Musk said AI will transform digital work long before it replaces most physical jobs. He stated, "Anything that's physical, those jobs will exist for a much longer time. But anything that is digital, which is like, just someone at a computer doing something, AI is going to takeover those jobs like lighting (like coding, etc). Just like digital computers took over the jobs of people doing manual calculations. But much faster." Jobs most vulnerable to AI are generally those built around repetitive, predictable and screen-based activities, such as data-entry workers, administrative assistants and payroll clerks. AI tools can extract information from invoices, classify documents, schedule appointments and identify inconsistencies faster than manual work. Chatbots and voice assistants can already deal with common questions about deliveries, refunds, bookings, account access and opening hours. Human agents will still be needed for emotionally difficult situations, complaints and complex financial matters.