Elon Musk claims xAI could achieve AGI by 2026

In a surprising development, Elon Musk has claimed that his artificial intelligence (AI) startup, xAI, could achieve artificial general intelligence within the next two years.

The xAI CEO has suggested that the milestone may be reached as early as 2026, setting one of the most ambitious timelines yet in the global AI race.

According to a report by Business Insider, the tech billionaire shared his updated outlook during an all-hands meeting with employees at xAI’s headquarters in San Francisco.

During the internal discussion, Musk reportedly told staff that steady technical progress and continued execution could put the company on track to reach AGI-level capabilities within that timeframe.

The comments mark a shift from Musk’s earlier, more cautious public stance. Previously, he had suggested that the odds of near-term AGI were relatively low, even as AI systems advanced rapidly.

Earlier this year, Musk estimated that xAI’s next-generation Grok 5 model had only about a 10% chance of achieving AGI-level performance.

Grok 5, expected to debut in early 2026, is viewed as a critical step in xAI’s roadmap and a test of whether the company can narrow the gap with rivals.

While expressing optimism, Musk also stressed that achieving AGI would demand extensive work behind the scenes, including large-scale investment in infrastructure, talent, and computational resources.