Amazon founder Jeff Bezos predicts: In the next decade, there will be millions of…

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has expressed optimism about humanity’s future with artificial intelligence and space exploration, saying the world is heading toward “civilizational abundance” rather than collapse.

Speaking at Italian Tech Week 2025 recently, Bezos said he finds it hard to understand the pessimism surrounding AI. “I don’t see how anybody can be discouraged who is alive right now,” he said, adding that there is much to look forward to as technology continues to evolve.

Bezos says millions could live in space by 2045

Bezos predicted that by 2045, millions of people could be living in space. “In the next kind of couple of decades, I believe there will be millions of people living in space,” he said.

“That’s how fast this is going to accelerate.”According to Jeff Bezos, those future space residents will be there by choice. “They’ll mostly be living there because they want to,” he said. “We don’t need people to live in space.” He added that robots, not humans, will likely handle labor-intensive tasks on the moon or other planets. “If you need to do some work on the surface of the moon or anywhere else, we will be able to send robots to do that work, and that will be much more cost-effective than sending humans.

”Addressing fears about AI replacing humans, Bezos argued that technological progress has always created more prosperity. “Civilizational abundance comes from our inventions,” he said. “So 10,000 years ago, or whenever it was, somebody invented the plough, and we all got richer. I’m talking about all of civilization, these tools increase our abundance, and that pattern will continue.”Notably, not all billionaires share the same enthusiasm for space. Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates has argued that global leaders should focus on challenges on Earth first. “Space? We have a lot to do here on Earth,” Gates said in a previous interview.Still, Gates also sees potential benefits in AI, suggesting it could eventually allow for shorter workweeks and more leisure time. “If you zoom out, the purpose of life is not just to do jobs,” he said.