Elon Musk has once again revised his outlook on artificial general intelligence (AGI), suggesting that his AI startup xAI could reach the long-anticipated milestone sooner than previously expected. According to reports, the tech billionaire now believes that xAI’s models could surpass human intelligence as early as 2026, marking another shift in his evolving AGI timeline.

Musk founded xAI in 2023 with the explicit goal of building advanced AI systems capable of reasoning and understanding the world in ways comparable to humans. While the company has moved quickly since its inception, true AGI — broadly defined as AI that can think, learn, and reason across domains like a human — remains unrealised across the industry.

As per a famous publication report, Musk shared his latest thinking during an all-hands meeting at xAI’s San Francisco headquarters. He reportedly told employees that achieving AGI within the next two years is possible, and that 2026 could be the breakthrough year. This marks a more optimistic stance compared to his earlier assessment, when he suggested that the upcoming Grok 5 model had only a 10 per cent chance of reaching AGI.

The Grok 5 AI model, expected to be released in early 2026, is central to xAI’s ambitions. While Musk acknowledged that reaching AGI would require significant effort and execution behind the scenes, he expressed confidence that success could position xAI as the most powerful AI company in the world. He reportedly believes that AGI developed at xAI could go beyond human intelligence, a claim that underscores the scale of the company’s aspirations.

Musk also emphasised that the next two years will be critical for xAI’s survival and growth. According to the report, he told staff that if the company can endure and make meaningful progress during this period, it could surpass major competitors such as Google, OpenAI, and Meta. The global AI race has intensified in recent years, with these tech giants investing heavily in models, infrastructure, and talent.

A key advantage, Musk reportedly noted, lies in funding and infrastructure. He believes xAI could access between $20 billion and $30 billion in funding annually, giving it the financial muscle to scale faster than rivals. In addition, xAI benefits from its proximity to Musk’s other companies. Tesla, for instance, has already integrated the Grok chatbot into its vehicles, creating a direct real-world deployment channel for xAI’s technology.

To support its growth, Musk announced ambitious plans to dramatically expand xAI’s computing power. During the meeting, he revealed intentions to increase the firm’s GPU count from around 200,000 to more than one million, a move aimed at boosting training capacity for increasingly complex AI models.

Musk’s remarks were reportedly met with enthusiasm by xAI employees, reflecting internal optimism about the company’s trajectory. Whether xAI can meet the aggressive 2026 AGI timeline remains uncertain, but Musk’s renewed confidence signals that the race toward human-level AI is accelerating faster than ever.