Elon Musk wants robots to follow criminals rather than sending them to prison

A Tesla Optimus robot is displayed next to a logo at the company???s booth at the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, China, November 6, 2025.REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Elon Musk’s latest brainwave hopes to use Tesla’s Optimus robots to follow people around to deter them from committing crime. The recognised world’s richest man said that the humanoid bots could serve as something similar to a Robocop, and that criminals should be let out of prison to be followed by them instead. So, what would it entail? (Picture: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
A Tesla Optimus robot walks during an appearance outside the Nasdaq Market site in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
The idea sprung up at Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, suggesting that using the robot in this manner could offer a ‘more humane form of containment of future crime.’ The idea is that convicted criminals are shadowed by an Optimus robot which serves as a roaming security camera to deter them from committing more crime. However, there was not much follow up for what happens if the robot is attacked. (Picture: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/Shutterstock (15271763o) Tesla Optimus humanoid robot on display inside the Tesla pop-up store near Shibuya crossing. In April 2025, Tesla opened a pop-up store in Shibuya, Tokyo, strategically located just a minute's walk from Shibuya Station. The store showcases the new Model Y and Model 3, along with the Optimus robot, offering an interactive experience for visitors. This temporary setup aims to boost brand visibility and engage potential customers in one of Tokyo's busiest districts, aligning with Tesla's strategy to expand its presence in Japan's electric vehicle market. Tesla pop-up store in Shibuya, Tokyo - 25 Apr 2025
Musk said: ‘Y’know we might maybe able to give people a more — if somebody’s committed crime — a more humane form of containment of future crime. Which is if you say, like, you now get a free Optimus and it’s just gonna follow you around and stop you from doing crime. But other than that you get to do anything. It’s just gonna stop you from committing crime, that’s really it. You don’t have to put people in prisons and stuff, I think.’ (Picture: Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/Shu)
A Tesla Optimus robot walks during an appearance outside the Nasdaq Market site in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
The idea poses questions – like, how will the robots prevent crime? And who will be funding this mass rollout and making sure they are reliable enough to follow criminals around? The robots were first announced in 2021, and a prototype was introduced in 2022. (Picture: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
A Tesla Optimus robot scoops popcorn and gestures at attendees during the opening of the Tesla Diner and Drive-In restaurant and Supercharger on Santa Monica Blvd in the Hollywood neighborhood Los Angeles, California on July 21, 2025. Elon Musk's electric vehicle company Tesla has opened a diner on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Tesla notes that Optimus was designed to: ‘Create a general purpose, bi-pedal, autonomous humanoid robot capable of performing unsafe, repetitive or boring tasks. Achieving that end goal requires building the software stacks that enable balance, navigation, perception and interaction with the physical world. We’re hiring deep learning, computer vision, motion planning, controls, mechanical and general software engineers to solve some of our hardest engineering challenges.’ (Picture: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)
A Tesla Optimus robot interacts with a crowd during an appearance outside the Nasdaq Market site in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
But despite this, Tesla has not yet launched a commercial version of the bot, and production is expected to start next year in California. At the meeting, Musk described Optimus as an ‘infinite money glitch’, capable of increasing the global economy by a factor of ‘10 or maybe 100’. He also floated the idea that one day human consciousness could be uploaded to Optimus robots through his brain chip venture Neuralink. (Picture: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
A crowd watches and interacts with a Tesla Optimus robot outside the Nasdaq Market site in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
He said: ‘With the Neuralink, [you could] have an approximate snapshot of somebody’s mind, and then upload that approximate snapshot to an Optimus body. I think at some point that technology becomes possible. And it’s probably less than 20 years [away].’ (Picture: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
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