At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Elon Musk predicted AI could overtake human intelligence within years and delivered a subtle jab at Donald Trump’s newly launched Board of Peace initiative.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk used the global stage of the World Economic Forum in Davos to lay out an ambitious vision of a future powered by artificial intelligence and robotics while slipping in a pointed, if understated, jab at US President Donald Trump’s newly announced “Board of Peace”.
Speaking during a session focused on technology and the global economy, Musk described a future of what he called “sustainable abundance”, where rapid advances in AI and automation fundamentally reshape productivity and human capability.
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According to Musk, the pace of development is accelerating so fast that artificial intelligence could soon outstrip human intelligence altogether.
“I think we might have AI that is smarter than any human by the end of this year, and I would say no later than next year,” Musk said. He went further, predicting that by 2030, AI systems could surpass the collective intelligence of all humanity, a milestone he framed as both transformative and inevitable.
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As Musk spoke about intelligence, power and decision-making in a future dominated by machines, his comments took on a political edge when he briefly alluded to Trump’s “Board of Peace”, which the US president officially launched on the sidelines of the Davos summit earlier this week. The initiative was unveiled amid ongoing global conflicts, including the Israel–Hamas war, and has been pitched by Trump as part of a broader push for international stability.
Musk’s remark — phrased lightly but laden with irony — questioned the substance behind the initiative, drawing attention online for its timing and tone. The moment quickly circulated on social media, with viewers interpreting the comment as a critique of performative diplomacy at a time of deep geopolitical fractures.
The juxtaposition was striking. On one hand, Trump’s administration was promoting a formal platform for peace-making at a gathering of political and corporate elites. On the other, Musk was suggesting that the most disruptive forces reshaping global power may no longer be political institutions but artificial intelligence systems a