AI expert predicts robots may outnumber humans by 2035

Robots could outnumber humans in the coming decade as advances in artificial intelligence reshape how humans work, Zhang Yaqin, a leading AI expert, said in a recent interview posted to the Weibo account Laoban Lianbo, a business-focused channel under Pear Video.

"I am optimistic that in about 10 years we may work only two days a week, with salaries not decreasing and possibly even increasing," he said.

Zhang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and founding dean of the Institute for AI Industry Research at Tsinghua University, said advances in AI are expected to boost productivity, extend life expectancy, and reduce working hours while improving living standards.

He predicted that by around 2035, the world's robot population—including industrial, social, and household robots—could exceed the human population.

Robots are likely to replace some repetitive physical and cognitive tasks, such as translation and driving functions, while also creating new types of jobs.

The future could be an era where artificial intelligence and human intelligence coexist, with AI amplifying human capabilities and raising overall societal intelligence, Zhang said.

"It's similar to how the steam engine freed humans from physical constraints," he said. "Now we are freeing ourselves from intellectual constraints."

Zhang also noted that technological change alone does not determine outcomes, adding that social governance, ethics, and human choices will shape how artificial intelligence is used in the future.

He cited the example of video conferencing, which was once expected to reduce travel but instead coexists with a growing demand for face-to-face interaction.