It all began with a post about how the artificial intelligence ChatGPT had helped a cancer patient more effectively than doctors. According to this post, AI could make diagnoses so accurate that doctors’ judgment in the medical world would be questioned. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, joined the discussions on the subject and made a clear statement that left no room for debate:
AI is already better than most doctors. And it will get much better. Every profession is at risk.
What will we do in the face of AI?
Musk’s pessimistic outlook resonated widely on social media. Musk, who has previously frequently warned about the potential dangers of AI, now included his own future in the equation by declaring, “No job, including mine, is safe.” With this statement, he became one of the rare tech leaders who acknowledged that automation could even take his own position.
The reactions from Musk’s followers were filled with concern and curiosity. One user said, “I can’t even imagine an AI that could replace Elon,” while another asked the question on millions of people’s minds: “So what are we going to do? Are we going to get universal basic income without sitting around doing anything?”
Musk remained silent, refusing to address any of these existential questions.
Despite the dystopian future Musk envisions, other voices are also rising from the tech and investment worlds. Billionaire investor Mark Cuban is among those who argue that instead of panicking, we should prepare for the future.
According to Cuban, the solution isn’t to fight AI, but to learn to work with it. He emphasizes that humans need to develop critical thinking, creativity, and especially social skills that machines can’t easily replicate. While machines process data, humans can continue to create value by empathizing, collaborating, and generating innovative ideas.
This debate between Musk’s warning and Cuban’s adaptation proposal constitutes one of the most fundamental issues facing humanity in the age of artificial intelligence: What will be humanity’s new role as machines rise? The answer to this question will shape the business world and society of the future.
