At a Tesla shareholder meeting, Elon Musk said that the technology would make it possible to make a «digital copy» of a person’s consciousness using Neuralink and transfer it into a robot. At the same time, he emphasized that such a copy would not be identical to the original, but «it would probably be pretty close.»
At a Tesla shareholder meeting, Elon Musk said that the technology would make it possible to make a «digital copy» of a person’s consciousness using Neuralink and transfer it into a robot. At the same time, he emphasized that such a copy would not be identical to the original, but «it would probably be pretty close.»
According to a video clip of his response published in X, Musk said, «Can you take a rough snapshot of someone’s mind with Neuralink and upload that rough copy into a robot body? I think at some point it will be possible, probably in less than 20 years.» He acknowledged that «you will be a little different because you will be in a robotic body, and the snapshot is not accurate,» but reminded us, «Are you the same person you were five years ago? No.»
This is not about «soul transfer,» but about a technical procedure: the Neuralink implant reads the state of the brain, forms a digital representation of key connections and memories, after which this model is uploaded into the robot body (Musk specifically mentioned Optimus). According to him, this is not «instantaneous history,» but a realistic horizon, up to two decades.
Musk outlined the practical meaning of such a «digital copy» as the continuation of existence and the ability to work in a mechanical body. At the same time, he left open the questions of identity: whether the «originality of consciousness» would remain the same if the brain-model worked on a different medium, and how important the accuracy of the copy was.
ELON: A COPY OF YOUR MIND COULD LIVE IN AN OPTIMUS WITHIN 20 YEARS
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) November 12, 2025
Question:
«Do you see a path for Optimus to have human consciousness downloaded to it?»
Elon:
«It’s not immediate, but if you say, down the road, would you be able to, say, with a Neuralink, have a snapshot… https://t.co/0xJzyWz9Nc pic.twitter.com/fgnBTpzs5R
The key risks here are legal and ethical: who will own the «consciousness data», how to protect it from hacking or substitution, whether such a copy will have its own rights if it behaves as an autonomous person. Musk actually offers a new framework for the discussion: if uploading becomes technically possible, society will have to agree in advance on rules that will determine the limits of control over the «digital self», responsibility for the actions of robot copies and the security of such systems.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the company could show prototypes of a flying car by the end of the year. He said this on Joe Rogan’s podcast, answering the question of when the second generation Tesla Roadster would finally be released.
