Riyadh — Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, joined Saudi Minister of Communications Abdullah Al-Swaha in a high-profile dialogue during the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, underscoring growing technological collaboration between the two nations.
Al-Swaha opened the session by highlighting Saudi Arabia’s strategic shift from an energy-driven economy to one fueled by innovation, AI, and digital transformation. He praised Musk’s role in shaping the global tech landscape, and emphasized the Kingdom’s ambition, under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s leadership, to become a global platform for transformative technologies.
Musk described humanoid robots as a future cornerstone of global productivity, projecting they could raise global economic output tenfold. He introduced the concept of “high universal income” — a post-scarcity economic model enabled by AI and robotics.
Discussing his startup xAI, Musk stressed the importance of interpretable AI systems that prioritize understanding and transparency. He argued that such systems will be essential in building responsible and trustworthy AI infrastructure.
Al-Swaha echoed those sentiments, citing Saudi Arabia’s investments in cloud services, digital infrastructure, and AI value chains as key to establishing the Kingdom as a global center for responsible and impactful artificial intelligence.
Musk also acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s adoption of Starlink in aviation and maritime sectors as a major step toward advancing global connectivity. He expressed optimism about future collaboration in smart mobility, including potential deployment of robo-taxis and tunneling technologies from The Boring Company in Saudi cities.
The forum concluded with a shared vision: a global economy driven by ethical innovation, where technology enhances human prosperity. Al-Swaha reaffirmed the importance of U.S.-Saudi cooperation in leading this transformation, calling it a foundation for a more intelligent, equitable, and sustainable global economy.
