Bukele Visits Tesla: A Meeting of Minds
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has been in the Austin headquarters of Tesla, meeting Elon Musk to discus the transformational capabilities of AI and its potentials to shape the future of humanity. The high-profile meeting puts a marker on El Salvador’s ambitions to be taken seriously as a player in global tech innovation.
A Tour of Tesla’s Gigafactory
Bukele tweeted a video of himself on X, touring Tesla’s gigafactory on September 21. In the video, Musk greeted the Salvadoran head of state and took him on a tour of the facility. “An amazing leader,” Musk added, noting how important the discussions they’ve had about technology and its societal impact are.
Unveiling AI – Bitcoin Future
The nature of reality, the future of humanity, and the role of AI and robotics in the reordering of the world were all discussed in the gamut of futuristic topics between Bukele and Musk. This is a very timely meeting, considering El Salvador has just adopted Bitcoin as legal tender and now wants to integrate AI and other advanced technologies into its national strategy.
AI: Next Frontier for El Salvador
Now, the country looks toward AI as a driver of growth after the mainstream Bitcoin adoption, which the country’s leaders believed would fight inflation and lessen reliance on the US dollar. ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood has forecast that El Salvador’s GDP will increase tenfold by 2029, largely fueled by its daring tech initiatives.
Bukele’s Dream: Oasis for Tech Innovation
In May, Wood met with Bukele to discuss investment opportunities in El Salvador, especially in Bitcoin, AI, and other tech sectors. She praised Bukele’s vision to make El Salvador a haven for Bitcoin and AI communities, terming it one of the biggest economic revolutions and technological revolutions ever.
New Chapter for Global Tech
In the three years that have followed the adoption of Bitcoin, El Salvador has returned an estimated profit of over $31 million. The main reasons for Bukele’s doing so were to increase financial inclusion, make remittances easier to pay, and attract financial innovation from the rest of the world. The most recent meeting with Musk is just one more step in El Salvador’s road to positioning itself as a global tech hub.
While El Salvador is continuously pushing the envelope on technology, the cooperation with Tesla opens new perspectives for the small Central American nation probably to change its status in the world.
