Corporate America's New Game: AI-Driven Employment Predictions
The growth of AI has Threatened many careers and job roles.
In late May, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei appeared to kick open the door on a sensitive topic, warning that half of entry-level jobs could vanish within five years because of artificial intelligence, leading to 20% unemployment in the United States. But Amodei is far from alone in sharing aloud that he foresees a workforce bloodbath. A new WSJ story highlights how other CEOs are also issuing dire predictions about AI’s job impact, turning employment doom into something of a competitive sport.
Predicted Job Losses
Several of these predictions came before Amodei’s comments. For example, at JPMorgan’s annual investor day earlier in May, its consumer banking chief Marianne Lake projected AI would “enable” a 10% workforce reduction. But they’ve been coming fast, and growing more stark, ever since. In a note last month, Amazon’s Andy Jassy warned employees to expect a smaller workforce due to the “once-in-a-lifetime” technological shift that’s afoot.
ThredUp’s CEO said at a conference last month that AI will destroy “way more jobs than the average person thinks.” Not to be outdone, Ford’s Jim Farley delivered perhaps the most sweeping claim yet, saying last week that AI will “literally replace half of all white-collar workers in the U.S.”
It’s a dramatic shift from executives’ previous cautious public statements about job displacement, notes the Journal. Indeed, the outlet notes that while some tech leaders — including from powerful AI companies — have proposed that fears are overblown, the growing string of warnings suggests massive restructurings are coming, whether people are ready for them or not.
