Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told a packed room at the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, D.C., that the rise of artificial intelligence is poised to significantly reshape work.
“Everybody’s jobs will be different, I think that’s for sure,” Huang said during the panel, according to The Hill.
He explained that everyday tasks people find “mundanely or arduously or very difficultly, are going to be done very simply” and that workers should expect big jumps in productivity as a result.
Huang added that the change won’t slow anyone down, including the people on stage with him. “It is my guess that Elon will be busier as a result of AI. I’m going to be busier as a result of AI,” he said, as reported by The Hill.
His comments echoed what he previously stated at the Milken conference: “You’re not going to lose your job to an AI, but you’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI.”
Musk: Work could become optional, money could fade
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pushed the conversation further. When asked about job fears, he suggested that work itself may not be necessary in the long run.
Musk argued that AI will usher in an era where people work only if they choose to. “My prediction is that work will be optional — it will be like playing sports or video games,” he said.
He compared future work to tending a home garden, noting that “some people still do it because they like growing vegetables.” His forecast also went beyond work. Musk said, “money will stop being relevant at some point in the future,” and later added that AI and robotics could end poverty altogether.
“AI and humanoid robots will actually eliminate poverty,” he said at the event, claiming that advanced machines would “make everyone wealthy.”
AI at the center of global deals
The backdrop to this discussion was a major push by the US and Saudi Arabia to expand investments in AI infrastructure. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pledged $1 trillion for US-linked projects aimed at turning the kingdom into a global AI data powerhouse.
At the forum, President Donald Trump told business leaders, “We will work closely with friends and partners like those in this room to build the largest, most powerful, most innovative AI ecosystem in the world.”
Both Huang and Musk sat in the front row during Trump’s remarks, reflecting the central roles their companies play. Saudi-backed AI company Humain and Musk’s xAI are already teaming up on a massive 500-megawatt data center, using Nvidia’s hardware to power future models.
The rush to build AI infrastructure has fueled US market gains this year, though economists warn that rapid spending, much of it financed with debt, could signal a more fragile phase ahead. A JPMorgan estimate suggests 15% of jobs could be replaced by AI in two decades, potentially adding trillions to the global economy.
Nvidia continues to play a defining role in the global AI buildout. The company released strong quarterly earnings following the forum, reporting that net income had jumped 65% from the same period a year earlier.
As Huang and Musk sketch out an AI-driven future of work, AI-driven job cuts are already pushing 2025 US layoffs past 1 million, underscoring how uneven the transition may be.