Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk claimed in May that humanoid robots will begin impacting GDP in just four to five years. But while billionaire Mark Cuban agrees Musk is forward-thinking when it comes to video-based robotics, he isn't sold on humanoid robots being the game-changer everyone thinks they'll be.
Cuban Thinks AI Will Win, But Not With C-3POs
In a wide-ranging interview on the recent “Prof G Markets” podcast, Cuban said robotics will be key to future productivity, but not necessarily in the way Musk envisions.
Cuban emphasized that robotics powered by video-trained AI would outperform current systems. “With robotics, they've got to capture video. That's where Elon is smart and ahead of the curve,” he said. “I don't think that’s the future.”
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Instead, Cuban sees robotics evolving through function-first design. “Being able to tell a robot, ‘clean the house’ without giving discreet instructions is what’s going to happen,” he said, adding that robots of the future might resemble a spider or “whatever they come up with.”
“It’s going to know what socks go together,” he explained. ” It’s going to know how long to wash. It’s going to know to look under the bed for dust for the kids.”
Musk, on the other hand, sees humanoid robots becoming as common as personal assistants. Speaking to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Donald Trump in May, Musk said humanoid robots could eventually be as widespread as smartphones.
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At a Saudi economic forum, Musk joked that one of Tesla's Optimus robots performed the “Trump dance.” He believes these machines could eventually create an economy “10 times the size of the current global economy” and bring about “universal high income.”
Cuban agrees that AI-driven productivity is essential but points to a more grounded implementation. He cited his own company, Cost Plus Drugs, which uses robotics and AI to manufacture drugs in Dallas more cheaply than in India or China. “It doesn’t take many people,” Cuban said. “More importantly, we can turn from one drug to the next in hours.”
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Different Roads, Same Direction
While Cuban and Musk may not agree on humanoid robot adoption, they're aligned on one major point: AI will reshape the economy. Cuban sees its biggest impact in enabling small and mid-sized businesses to become more efficient. He also believes AI will unlock educational and entrepreneurial opportunities for curious, driven young people.
“There's nothing a kid can't learn right now,” he said. “And when you tell me that there's a tool that allows any child to learn anything they want… nothing makes me more excited.”
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