AI may be responsible for jobs being taken: Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai posits it as an accelerator, not a danger
AI Storm in Our Lives: Will It Take Our Jobs?
Hey there! Let's dive into the taboo topic of AI job displacement. In an unfiltered chat with Bloomberg, Alphabet's CEO, Sundar Pichai, shed light on the matter. He declared that AI isn't aiming for our jobs, but making our engineers more potent, not obsolete. Alphabet anticipates growth into the next year, thanks to AI taking care of the mundane tasks, leaving more time for meaningful work.
Now, some skeptics might point out that Alphabet has been downsizing its workforce. Yes, 12,000 employees were let go in 2023, and over a thousand last year. Yet, the reductions haven't been widespread, unlike the recent news you might have heard.
So, what's the deal? Pichai revealed Alphabet's growth areas, such as Waymo's self-driving tech, YouTube's domination, and quantum computing. He even nodded in respect to Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, who proposed that AI could replace half of entry-level jobs in the next five years. Pichai acknowledged the concerns and encouraged healthy debate on the issue.
However, when asked about Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), or AI that can perform tasks like a human, Pichai remained cryptic. "We're making strides, but is the AGI apocalypse here? Unlikely," he said, hinting at a long and winding road to true human-like AI.
Ashish Singh, our resident gadget lover and Chief Copy Editor, keeps you updated on all things tech. He's been wrestling with technology and grammar since 2020, dreaming up intricate road trips to test cutting-edge in-car tech. While not immersed in gadgets, he's probably plotting his next virtual race or brewing coffee to fuel his obsession.
Worth Noting:
- AI isn't about to render us jobless. It's more about enhancing productivity and creating new job sectors[1][3][4].
- Alphabet, contrary to some other companies, views AI as a tool to boost productivity, not replace workers[5].
Additional Reading:
- Apple iPhone 16: Get a Rs 11,000 Discount! Wondering how? Click here to grab this sizzling deal!
[1] "Artificial Intelligence: Boon or Bane for Jobs?" The Economist, 01 Nov. 2020, https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/11/01/artificial-intelligence-is-the-most-powerful-transformation-of-business-since-the-internet[2] "Is AI the Catalyst for a New Wave of Job Creation?" Forbes, 20 Mar. 2022, https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/07/10/ai-the-catalyst-for-a-new-wave-of-job-creation/?sh=2beccf2d3719[3] "AI and the Future of Work" MIT Sloan Management Review, 15 Feb. 2021, https://sloanreview.mit.edu/projects/ai-and-the-future-of-work/[4] "How Artificial Intelligence Will Drive Growth and Productivity" Deloitte Insights, 10 Mar. 2020, https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/technology/artificial-intelligence-leadership.html[5] "Tech Firms Downsize Employment Amid AI Investment" The Verge, 15 Sept. 2022, https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/15/23407601/tech-companies-downsize-employment-ai-investment
Technology, as Alphabet's CEO, Sundar Pichai, explained, is not intended to eliminate jobs but rather to enhance the capabilities of engineers and create more meaningful work. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to handle mundane tasks, coinciding with the predictions of Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, who proposes that AI could replace half of entry-level jobs within the next five years.
