At a recent Tesla shareholder meeting, CEO Elon Musk introduced a radical new idea: replace the traditional prison system with Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots that would follow and monitor former criminals. Musk pitched this dystopian-sounding plan as a “more humane” way to prevent future crimes without resorting to incarceration.
“You don’t have to put people in prisons and stuff,” Musk said. “If somebody’s committed a crime, you now get a free Optimus and it’s just gonna follow you around and stop you from doing crime.”
Musk offered no technical specifics on how the robots would actually prevent crime or distinguish between everyday behavior and criminal intent. Critics quickly slammed the idea as an Orwellian overreach and questioned the feasibility, ethics, and legality of deploying AI-powered robots as mobile surveillance and enforcement agents.
“This shows a complete lack of understanding of criminology and basic human rights,” said Michael Johnson of the Brookings Institution. “Musk’s proposal sounds more like a Black Mirror episode than a serious policy solution.”
Tesla’s Optimus robot is still in its early stages of development and has only demonstrated simple tasks like walking and lifting objects. Robotics experts warn that programming these machines to make complex, real-time moral judgments in unpredictable environments is currently beyond reach.
Sarah Chen, a robotics engineer, raised concerns over bias, errors, and the dangers of empowering robots with authority over human lives: “What happens when the robot gets it wrong? Misidentifies someone? Uses force? Who’s held responsible?”
Musk’s suggestion comes as part of a broader pattern of increasingly provocative tech ventures. Critics, including some Tesla shareholders, worry that Musk’s focus on science-fiction projects may distract from the company’s core challenges, including vehicle production and regulatory scrutiny.
Still, the billionaire’s push to reimagine the justice system—however far-fetched—has sparked intense debate over the role of AI in law enforcement and civil liberties.
