Amazon founder Jeff Bezos pushed back against the wide concerns that AI will cause job losses, but instead increase demand for human workers, at a recent VivaTech conference in Paris.
“I know there’s a lot of concern that many people have, including many smart people, that AI is going to make humans redundant and so on,” said Bezos. “I totally disagree with this point of view. And I think, in fact, AI is going to create a labour shortage.”
Bezos states that AI will help remove barriers that are currently limiting productivity and innovation, therefore creating new opportunities instead of replacing people. The comments were made while discussing his latest venture, Prometheus, an AI company focused on accelerating manufacturing and industrial automation.
This comes amid the constant debate over how AI is impacting employment, and the future of the job market alongside the rise of these tools. Bezos views go against some industry leaders warnings around the technology negatively affecting job opportunities, particularly for young people.
Sheila Flavell, CBE, COO of FDM Group: “The workplace is shifting, and AI is now embedded across almost every business, with employers now expecting a baseline understanding of AI tools and applications across the majority of sectors. The graduates who will thrive in the workplace will be the ones who are equipped with both AI fluency and job-ready skills, and who are given the opportunity for continuous upskilling and reskilling to keep pace with employers’ evolving needs.”
“AI has increasingly become something to be feared, seen as a weapon which is replacing staff, and taking over the workplace. However, AI should be seen as an opportunity which employees and graduates need to use to their advantage. It is inevitable that AI is shaping the workplace, so human skills, such as problem solving, should be combined with AI knowledge to achieve true future career success.”
