If you thought AI was coming for a few entry-level jobs, think again, as one leading computer scientist believes the technology isn’t just changing how we work; it could wipe out nearly all work altogether.
If you thought AI was coming for a few entry-level jobs, think again, as one leading computer scientist believes the technology isn’t just changing how we work; it could wipe out nearly all work altogether.
It's a scenario that a bunch of tech experts have expressed concerns about. Bill Gates has previously revealed the three jobs he thinks are likely to get the boot, while a recent study laid out the situation more fully by listing the 44 jobs in jeopardy.
Dr Roman Yampolskiy, a professor of computer science and a prominent voice in AI safety, says it’s 'not even a question' whether artificial intelligence will replace human workers.
The only thing that’s uncertain, he warns, is when you’ll be fired.
Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast, Yampolskiy explained that 'nearly all roles are at risk,' from cab drivers and teachers to the very engineers who built the systems in the first place.
He said: “That is not even a question if it’s possible. It’s like, how soon before you [are] fired?”
While some experts, like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, have shared the prediction that AI could take half of white-collar jobs within five years, Yampolskiy thinks that figure massively underestimates what’s coming.
In his view, a staggering 99 per cent of jobs will be replaced by AI and humanoid robots in that same time frame. The professor also believes there will be no 'plan B' this time, which means no retraining or moving into new industries.
“Before we always said, ‘This job is going to be automated, retrain to do this other job,’” he explained. “But if I’m telling you that all jobs will be automated, then there is no plan B. You cannot retrain.”
It’s a grim forecast for the global workforce, with Yampolskiy warning of 'levels of unemployment we [have] never seen before'.
He says that, eventually, the only positions left will be those 'where, for whatever reason, you prefer another human would do it for you'.
But here’s where the twist comes in. While that might sound like a dystopian nightmare, Yampolskiy isn’t panicking. Instead, he says people will gain something most of us haven’t had in generations: time.
He predicts humans could end up with 60 to 80 hours of free time each week, as work becomes a thing of the past.
He said: “We as a humanity, then we all lose our jobs. What do we do? What do we do financially? Who’s paying for us? And what do we do in terms of meaning?
"What do I do with my extra 60, 80 hours a week?”
While Yampolskiy doesn’t claim to have the financial side figured out, others like Elon Musk have floated ideas such as a 'universal high income', where technology generates so much wealth that everyone has what they need to live comfortably, as he mentioned in a conversation with former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
If he’s right, then the next few years could see humanity enter an 'age of abundance', with more time than ever before — but perhaps more questions than answers about what to do with it.
Topics: Artificial Intelligence, Jobs, Technology
