Davos 2026 Highlights: Elon Musk jokes he is an alien, says people don't believe him

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on Thursday he was convinced the United States would follow up on security guarantees for Ukraine if these were agreed in a possible peace deal.

Elon Musk said Tesla has already rolled out a robotaxi service in a few US cities and expects it to become widespread across the country by the end of this year. Musk also said Tesla is hoping to secure regulatory approval for its robotaxi service in Europe as early as next month, though he did not specify the countries involved.

Elon Musk said that the pace of artificial intelligence development could soon see machines surpass human intelligence. Musk said AI may become smarter than any individual human by the end of this year, or no later than the end of next year, and within five years could be more intelligent than all of humanity collectively.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday said Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots are expected to be sold to the public by the end of next year, as advances in artificial intelligence and robotics accelerate. Musk said some Optimus robots are already performing simple tasks inside factories, and by the end of this year they are likely to handle more complex work in industrial settings. He added that public sales would begin once the robots meet high standards of safety, liability and functionality. Musk had earlier said in 2024 that he aimed to sell Optimus robots in 2026.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Thursday joked about the existence of aliens, saying he is often asked whether there are extraterrestrials living among humans. Musk quipped that he tells people he is one himself, but they do not believe him, adding that if anyone would know whether aliens were among us, it would be him.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Thursday said artificial intelligence and robotics will trigger a massive global economic expansion, calling it unlike anything seen before. Musk said that if AI becomes ubiquitous and essentially free, alongside widespread use of robotics, it would lead to an explosion in the global economy that would be “truly beyond all precedent.”

Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Thursday praised China for its rapidly expanding renewable power generation capacity. Musk says China continues to lead globally in solar, wind and other renewable installations.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Thursday he wants to get a plan aimed at bolstering Arctic security ready by a NATO summit in Ankara in July after the United States announced a framework deal to de-escalate a row over Greenland's future.

Elon Musk will attend the World Economic Forum in Davos for the first time on Thursday, marking a striking reversal for the billionaire who has publicly criticized the annual gathering of political and business elites.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Davos was "very good" and that his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin is that the war in Ukraine has to end.

Polish leader Karol Nawrocki on Thursday said remarks by former US President Donald Trump on Greenland have raised hopes for a diplomatic resolution. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Nawrocki said Trump’s comments signalled scope for dialogue, stressing the need for diplomacy and cooperation to address sensitive geopolitical issues.

President Donald Trump said the details of a US agreement over Greenland were still being worked out on Thursday, speaking one day after stepping back from a tariff threat and ruling out the use of force to seize the Danish territory.

The United States remains committed to implementing the US-EU trade agreement, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a post on X after on Thursday after meeting European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic in Davos.

"Despite the noise and headlines, we remain committed to implementing the US-EU trade agreement and will always value our deep ties with our friends in Europe," Lutnick wrote.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled for Thursday or Friday, as he spoke on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

EU leaders will rethink their ties with the US at an emergency summit on Thursday after Donald Trump's threat of tariffs and even military action to acquire Greenland badly shook confidence in the transatlantic relationship, diplomats said.

Sweden wants to be part of increasing allied military presence in Greenland and the Arctic, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday at the "Board of Peace" ceremony in Davos that there was a commitment to ensure Gaza was demilitarised and "beautifully rebuilt."

Britain will not sign Trump’s Board of Peace treaty on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said, citing concerns over Russia’s potential role in the initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts. “We won’t be among the signatories today, because this is a legal treaty that raises broader issues, and we are also concerned about President Putin being involved in an initiative that talks about peace,” Cooper told BBC News from Davos.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed US President Donald Trump’s shift on Greenland and urged Europeans not to hastily dismiss the transatlantic partnership. “We Europeans, we Germans, understand the value of the trust on which NATO is built,” Merz said during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“In a world of great powers, the United States also relies on this trust. It is both their, and our, key competitive advantage,” he added. “Despite the frustration and anger of recent months, we should not be too quick to write off the transatlantic partnership,” Merz concluded.