Nobel Laureate Geoffrey Hinton , popularly known as the Godfather of AI has warned that AI will soon replace many workers, especially in roles involving routine tasks. Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Hilton said ““I think for mundane intellectual labour, AI will replace everyone.” He pointed to jobs like call centre workers and paralegal as those most at risk. As for what careers might be future-proof, Hinton had a simple suggestion: “Train to be a plumber.”
“I’d say it’s going to be a long time before [AI is] as good at physical manipulation as us—and so a good bet would be to be a plumber,” he said.
Geoffrey Hinton questions the idea of AI creating new jobs
Hilton, who left Google in 2023 to openly discuss AI’s dangers, said the impact on job is already being felt. “I think the joblessness is a fairly urgent short-term threat to human happiness. If you make lots and lots of people unemployed — even if they get universal basic income — they are not going to be happy,” he told host Steven Bartlett.
During the podcast, he also questioned the idea that new roles created due to AI will balance out the jobs lost. “This is a very different kind of technology,” he said. “If it can do all mundane intellectual labour, then what new jobs is it going to create? You would have to be very skilled to have a job that it couldn’t just do.”
Amazon’s Andy Jassy and others warns against AI
Amidst the emerging threats of AI, companies are preparing for changes. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently told the staff that as AI roles are adopted, the e-commerce giant plans to reduce corporate headcount. “We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs,” Jassy wrote in a memo, calling AI “a once-in-a-lifetime technology.”
Dario Amodei, CEO of AI firm Anthropic, also echoed the AI warning, saying that up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs could vanish within five years, pushing unemployment to around 20%. He advised both workers and governments to prepare for a fast shift from AI supporting jobs to fully automating them.
“I’d say it’s going to be a long time before [AI is] as good at physical manipulation as us—and so a good bet would be to be a plumber,” he said.
Geoffrey Hinton questions the idea of AI creating new jobs
Hilton, who left Google in 2023 to openly discuss AI’s dangers, said the impact on job is already being felt. “I think the joblessness is a fairly urgent short-term threat to human happiness. If you make lots and lots of people unemployed — even if they get universal basic income — they are not going to be happy,” he told host Steven Bartlett.
During the podcast, he also questioned the idea that new roles created due to AI will balance out the jobs lost. “This is a very different kind of technology,” he said. “If it can do all mundane intellectual labour, then what new jobs is it going to create? You would have to be very skilled to have a job that it couldn’t just do.”
Amazon’s Andy Jassy and others warns against AI
Amidst the emerging threats of AI, companies are preparing for changes. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently told the staff that as AI roles are adopted, the e-commerce giant plans to reduce corporate headcount. “We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs,” Jassy wrote in a memo, calling AI “a once-in-a-lifetime technology.”
Dario Amodei, CEO of AI firm Anthropic, also echoed the AI warning, saying that up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs could vanish within five years, pushing unemployment to around 20%. He advised both workers and governments to prepare for a fast shift from AI supporting jobs to fully automating them.
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