Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has issued another stark warning regarding America's national debt, stating that without artificial intelligence and robotics, the United States is certain to face bankruptcy. In a recent podcast interview, when questioned about why he advocated for significant spending cuts during his tenure leading the Department of Government Efficiency if technology can spur economic growth and ease debt burdens, Musk expressed concerns about government waste and fraud. He further commented, "Without AI and robotics, we are absolutely finished because the U.S. national debt is exploding." Musk highlighted that the annual interest payments on the current U.S. debt of $38.5 trillion amount to approximately one trillion dollars, a figure that even surpasses the country's military budget. The cost of servicing the debt also exceeds expenditures on major social programs like Medicare. Reflecting on his experience at the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk stated that his goal was to slow the nation's unsustainable fiscal trajectory, thereby buying more time for AI and robotics to drive economic growth. "This is the only way to solve the national debt problem. If we don't have AI and robotics, this country is 1000% headed for bankruptcy and decline," Musk asserted. "There is no other solution to the national debt issue. We need sufficient time to deploy AI and robotics to avoid bankruptcy before that happens." In November of last year, Musk expressed similar views, indicating that large-scale deployment of AI and robotics is the sole path to resolving the U.S. debt crisis. However, he also cautioned that the resulting increase in goods and services output from these technologies could trigger significant deflation. Ray Dalio, founder of the world's largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, has previously warned that the U.S. is heading towards a "debt death spiral," where the government is forced to borrow money merely to pay interest—a vicious, self-reinforcing cycle. Unlike Musk, however, Dalio does not believe the U.S. will go bankrupt. "There won't be a default—the central bank will step in, we will print money and buy [bonds]," he stated, "and that will lead to currency devaluation." In other words, technically, the government may never run out of money, but the U.S. dollar could depreciate rapidly. Musk has also warned that if current trends continue, "the dollar will become worthless." The erosion of the dollar's purchasing power is already evident. According to data from the Minneapolis Fed, $100 in 2025 will have the same purchasing power as just $12.06 did in 1970.