At the Milken Institute event, Musk slammed government waste and said AI could make public services faster and cheaper.
Elon Musk didn’t hold back at this year’s Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles. Speaking at a closed-door session on May 4, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO took aim at the U.S. government, calling it “a very inefficient company with a monopoly on force”—and proposed a bold fix: artificial intelligence.
“There are way too many people in government,” Musk said. “AI can do a lot of things much better than humans can.” In his view, AI has the potential to take over certain government functions, cut down inefficiencies, and usher in a leaner, smarter bureaucracy.
The U.S. federal government currently employs around 2.9 million civilians. Musk didn’t name specific roles or departments but made it clear he believes AI could handle many of those responsibilities more effectively. While the proposal was light on implementation details, it added fuel to an ongoing conversation about the future of public work in an AI-driven world.
His remarks came as part of a wider discussion on technology and economics at Milken—a gathering known for shaping high-level conversations among global business and policy leaders. Musk also spoke about Neuralink, SpaceX, and xAI, weaving AI into nearly every aspect of his vision for the future.
This isn’t Musk’s first policy bombshell. As the head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he’s advocated for deep budget cuts and the dismantling of federal agencies, including a proposed $2 trillion slash to government spending.
Bold? Yes. Practical? That’s up for debate! What’s certain is that Musk’s AI-powered vision of governance has once again put him at the center of a national conversation—raising both eyebrows and questions about what role AI should play in shaping public life.
