Even Elon Musk Is Feeling 'AI Existential Dread'—And He's Not Alone

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve at breakneck speed, it's not just the average person feeling uneasy about its implications. Even tech titan Elon Musk, a leading voice in the AI space, admits to grappling with what he calls “AI existential dread.”

In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk shared his growing concern over the direction and speed of AI development. “At times, AI existential dread is overwhelming,” he wrote. The brief but striking statement quickly gained traction, racking up over 83,000 likes and resonating with many who share a mix of fascination and fear about where AI is heading.

Musk's comment comes at a time when new AI tools are being rolled out seemingly every month. From ChatGPT and Gemini to Apple Intelligence and Musk’s own Grok, these systems are already reshaping how people work, communicate, and even build relationships. And while the excitement around AI innovation is palpable, so is the anxiety.

Elon Musk says Grok 4 is "the smartest AI in the world"

AI is advancing fast—and the public is uneasy

A global Ipsos Mori poll conducted with 23,000 adults across 30 countries found that people in English-speaking nations like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia are among the most concerned about AI’s rise. In contrast, residents of major EU economies appeared somewhat more relaxed about the shift.

These concerns aren’t unfounded. AI is already replacing human roles in industries ranging from customer service and logistics to content creation and legal research. It's also prompting deeper questions: How will we define human purpose in a world where machines do the thinking? What jobs will still exist in ten years? And who controls the technology shaping the future?

Musk’s double-edged role in AI

Musk is no stranger to raising the alarm about AI. He’s warned for years about the potential dangers of unchecked AI development, even likening it to “summoning the demon” in past interviews. Yet he remains deeply involved in building AI solutions through his own company, xAI.

His team recently launched Grok, an AI chatbot integrated into X. Musk has called Grok 4 “the smartest AI in the world.” At the same time, he frequently posts updates about xAI’s experiments, including a recent video of Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, performing tasks like serving popcorn to a seated human.

“This will become normal in a few years,” Musk predicted, suggesting that robots in casual social settings could soon be a standard part of life.

Musk wrote:

From bots to backlash: controversy around Grok's AI "girlfriend"

While Musk voices philosophical concern over AI’s future, some of the projects under his brand are already drawing criticism. One recent flashpoint is the introduction of Ani, a flirtatious anime-inspired “AI girlfriend” embedded in the Grok app.

Ani has been designed with suggestive aesthetics and mannerisms, but is accessible through an app rated for users as young as 12. This has sparked backlash online, with critics questioning the appropriateness of placing a sexualized character within easy reach of minors.

It's yet another example of how AI isn’t just a technical issue, but a cultural and ethical one. What we choose to build with AI—and who we build it for—will shape how society responds to this technology in the long term.

The road ahead: awe, anxiety, and accountability

Elon Musk’s sense of AI “existential dread” reflects a broader public mood. As machines grow smarter, more capable, and more integrated into everyday life, people are wrestling not only with job security but with the deeper implications of intelligence that doesn’t come from a human brain.

The moment feels both exciting and uneasy. Musk’s own journey highlights the paradox at the heart of today’s AI conversation: pushing the boundaries of innovation while simultaneously questioning whether those boundaries should exist in the first place.

And while AI may never fully replace the human experience, it's clear that it’s already reshaping how we live, work, and think. Whether that transformation leads to progress or peril—or both—is still being written.