Musk says only AI and robots can solve America's $40 trillion national debt

Elon Musk says the United States cannot cut its way out of a national debt above $40 trillion and that artificial intelligence and robotics are the only realistic fix. He also admitted he "kinda got carried away" during his time leading DOGE.

Elon Musk says spending cuts will not solve America's debt problem and that artificial intelligence and robots are the only way out. "The only way we're going to solve the national debt is with AI and robots," Musk said in an interview with his biographer Walter Isaacson for the new podcast "The Builders," first reported by Axios.

"We're not gonna solve it by trying to save our way there," Musk said. He argued that his time at the Department of Government Efficiency showed the deficit cannot be fixed from inside the government. "If you try to solve the deficit and stop wasteful spending, you make a lot of enemies," he said.

Second thoughts on DOGE

Musk said he "kinda got carried away" at DOGE, stayed away from his companies for too long and should have turned his attention back to AI sooner. He said President Donald Trump "likes to be liked," and that few people in power genuinely want to cut spending, pointing to Sen. Rand Paul as one of the exceptions.

The U.S. Treasury Department building in Washington

The national debt stood at roughly $40.39 trillion on Oct. 15, according to Treasury data. Borrowing costs have climbed as well: the 30-year Treasury yield reached 5.61% in late September, its highest level since 2002, while the 10-year yield hit 5.29%.

Not a new argument

Musk has made the case before. In a podcast last November, he called the debt "insanely high," noted that interest payments had surpassed the entire U.S. military budget and said AI and robotics were "pretty much the only thing" that could fix it. He did not offer a specific tax or spending plan in the latest interview.

Economists remain skeptical that productivity gains from automation can arrive quickly enough to close the gap, and many warn that rapid automation could also disrupt employment. The interview was published two days before Musk pledged to give every American child one SpaceX share next year.

Musk says only AI and robots can solve America's $40 trillion national debt