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Time of India
a day ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Chilling AI prediction: A Mad Max-like future for jobs may be coming; top economist warns
Chilling AI prediction: A Mad Max-like future for jobs may be coming; top economist warns Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping our world in profound ways—from improving medical diagnostics to powering chatbots and self-driving cars. But not all of its impacts are positive. In a Business Insider interview on the 'Possible' podcast, MIT economist David Autor sounded a serious caution: AI could turn our labour market into something resembling a Mad Max wasteland. While this doesn't mean total job loss, it does mean something equally alarming—the devaluation of once-valuable skills, pushing many into poorly paid work with limited advancement, as reported by Business Insider. This warning comes amid broader studies, such as a Salesforce projection that up to 23% of the workforce could be redeployed due to AI in the next two years (Business Insider, citing Salesforce). The underlying concern is clear: AI may not take jobs outright, but it could severely undermine what makes work valuable. Autor's analogy to Mad Max warns of a world where technology runs rampant and wealth concentrates at the top. Instead of liberation, AI could exacerbate income inequality and leave most people scrambling for low-end service roles. This article explores Autor's caution, what's driving this concern, which sectors are most vulnerable, and why intentional design and workforce planning are critical to avoid an AI-driven dystopia. Why AI may devalue skills, not just eliminate jobs Autor argues that the threat AI poses is more subtle than mass unemployment. Instead of taking jobs, it may strip roles of their expert value, turning once-specialised skills into commodities. How skills become obsolete: Automation of routine tasks : Industries like typing, factory work, and taxi driving saw initial waves of automation. With AI, even roles requiring moderate skill—like legal document review or marketing analysis—are now at risk. Commoditised skills : Resources like touch typing were once prized. Once AI can perform those actions without fatigue or error, such skills lose their edge. 'The threat… is not running out of work, but making the valuable skills that people have highly abundant so they're no longer valuable,' Autor explained. The 'Mad Max' comparison: What it means Autor's bleak vision is inspired by the Mad Max universe—a world marked by scarcity, brutal competition, and centralised power. He sees an economic parallel: AI empowers a few, while the majority struggle. Concentrated gains : Wealth and influence accrue to companies and individuals who own AI systems. Downshifted labour : Workers may be forced into low-paying, low-skill roles like cleaning, food delivery, and basic services. Wage pressure : With AI handling high-value tasks, remaining jobs lose bargaining power and income potential. How many people could be affected? A Salesforce study cited by Business Insider estimates that 23% of the global workforce may be redeployed in the next two years due to increased AI adoption. This includes changes in roles, responsibilities, or sectors. While not everyone will lose their job, many may find themselves working in different, less lucrative positions—a dangerous shift that Autor warns could erode societal well-being if not managed. Sectors at risk and which might survive Most at risk Administrative and clerical roles: Invoice processing, scheduling, data entry. Transport and logistics: AI-driven navigation, sorting, and delivery systems. Retail and service: AI-operated ordering kiosks, stock management. More resilient areas Healthcare : Physicians and nurses require empathy, human judgment, and trust. Education : Teaching, mentoring, and social-emotional learning. Creative fields : Art, film, and design rely on originality and human creativity. Complex caretaking : Therapy, social services, and community-based support. Autor emphasises these roles as critical to ensuring AI serves humans, not the other way around. What Autor says should be done Autor recognises the potential for AI to enhance human capabilities—but only if implemented thoughtfully. He urges: Design with purpose : Choose paths where AI complements human efforts, especially in healthcare, education, and social care. Policy foresight : Governments and regulators must steer AI development to avoid creating 'resource wars' over remaining low-skill jobs. Investment in people : Focus on helping workers transition—not just with new skills but also with basic income support and social protections. 'The future is not a forecasting exercise—it's a design exercise,' Autor said, as reported in Business Insider. He insists the AI future must be built deliberately, not left to chance. Also read | Sam Altman's AI warning: Millions of jobs are at risk—here's why AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
NDTV
5 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
AI To Create Mad Max-Like Future? Top Economist's Chilling Prediction
MIT economist David Autor has warned that rapid automation caused by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to a Mad Max scenario where jobs may still exist, but the skills that once generated wages would become less valuable, making the paychecks smaller and existence difficult. "The more likely scenario to me looks much more like Mad Max: Fury Road, where everybody is competing over a few remaining resources that aren't controlled by some warlord somewhere," Mr Autor said on the Possible podcast, hosted by LinkedIn cofounder Reed Hoffman. The reference by Mr Autor is from the 2015 movie by George Miller, set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where scarcity and inequality prevail while a tyrant rules over the hapless population. Mr Autor believes that AI could concentrate the wealth in the hands of people at the top while the workers fight for morsels. "The threat that rapid automation poses - to the degree it poses as a threat - is not running out of work, but making the valuable skills that people have highly abundant so they're no longer valuable," he said, adding that roles like typists, factory technicians, and even taxi driver might be replaced. AI to take away jobs Mr Autor is not the only one warning about a dystopian AI future. In May, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that AI could soon wipe out 50 per cent of entry-level white-collar jobs within the next five years. He added that governments across the world were downplaying the threat when AI's rising use could lead to a significant spike in unemployment numbers. "We, as the producers of this technology, have a duty and an obligation to be honest about what is coming. I don't think this is on people's radar," said Mr Amodei. According to the Anthropic boss, unemployment could increase by 10 per cent to 20 per cent over the next five years, with most of the people 'unaware' about what was coming. "Most of them are unaware that this is about to happen. It sounds crazy, and people just don't believe it," he said. "It's a very strange set of dynamics where we're saying: 'You should be worried about where the technology we're building is going.'"
Business Insider
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
AI could create a 'Mad Max' scenario where everyone's skills are basically worthless, a top economist says
As AI reshapes the labor market, the real threat may not be unemployment — it could be something subtler and more corrosive: the collapse in what skills are worth. That's according to MIT economist David Autor, who made the comments in an interview released Wednesday on the "Possible" podcast, hosted by LinkedIn cofounder Reed Hoffman. Autor warned that rapid automation could usher in what he calls a "Mad Max" scenario — a world where jobs still exist, but the skills that once generated wages become cheap and commoditized. "The more likely scenario to me looks much more like Mad Max: Fury Road, where everybody is competing over a few remaining resources that aren't controlled by some warlord somewhere," he said. The reference, drawn from the dystopian film series set in a post-collapse world of scarcity and inequality, captures Autor's fear that AI could concentrate wealth and power at the top while leaving most workers to fight over what's left. While several economists and some tech CEOs worry AI could displace millions of workers, Autor argued that the damage may play out differently, through the devaluation of once-valuable skills. "The threat that rapid automation poses — to the degree it poses as a threat — is not running out of work, but making the valuable skills that people have highly abundant so they're no longer valuable," he said. He pointed to roles like touch typists, factory technicians, and even taxi drivers as examples — all skilled, well-paying jobs that technology has downgraded or, in some cases, replaced. "It used to be that touch typing was a very valuable skill. Not so much anymore," he said. This doesn't mean people will be unemployed, he added. Instead, many are likely to shift into lower-paid service jobs — in food service, cleaning, security — that require little training and offer minimal pay. "Automation can either increase the expertise of your work by eliminating the supporting tasks and allowing you to focus on what you're really good at," he said. "Or, it can descale your work by automating the expert parts and just leaving you with a sort of last mile." Autor's concern is increasingly reflected in the corporate world. A May Salesforce study projected that 23% of workers will be redeployed over the next two years as AI adoption surges, and even employees who stay in their current roles will see them evolve. Tech executives, meanwhile, are placing a growing premium on adaptability, creativity, and the ability to work with AI tools, not just technical specialization. To avoid a future where technology widens inequality, Autor said we must intentionally design AI to support workers. "As my friend Josh Cohen, a philosopher, likes to say, 'The future is not a forecasting exercise — it's a design exercise, you're building it.'" "And so, breaking our way is not just a matter of luck. It's a matter of making good collective choices, and that's extremely hard to do." For Autor, the best place to start is by focusing AI where it can do the most good: expanding access to healthcare, education, and meaningful work. "Healthcare and education — two activities that in the United States has 20% GDP, a lot of it public money, actually — this is where there's such a great opportunity where AI could be a tool that could be so helpful to us in a way that other tools have not been." "Many of these things are feasible," he continued. "If we think we're not going to do them, it's not because we couldn't do them. It's because we're somehow not delivering on what is feasible."
Mint
18-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman's advice to Gen Z graduates: 'AI is not a threat, embrace it'
Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and a prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist, has a clear message for the Class of 2025 and beyond: embrace artificial intelligence, not fear it. In a video shared on his YouTube channel this week, Hoffman urged recent graduates to leverage their intuitive understanding of AI tools as a core advantage in the evolving job market. 'You are Generation AI—you're AI-native,' Hoffman said. 'Highlighting your comfort with AI in your skillset makes you a compelling candidate in today's job landscape.' Hoffman, also a partner at Greylock Partners, was responding to student-submitted questions about how to navigate the job search in a tech-disrupted world. Many of the queries reflected anxieties around how AI could potentially displace entry-level roles. Acknowledging these concerns, Hoffman noted that while AI is indeed reshaping traditional workflows, particularly at the entry level, it is also creating new opportunities for digitally savvy young professionals to differentiate themselves. 'Yes, it's disrupting entry-level tasks and causing uncertainty among employers,' Hoffman said. 'But it's also a chance to stand out. You can use AI to showcase your creativity, efficiency, and problem-solving abilities—skills that more senior colleagues might still be developing.' Hoffman encouraged graduates to frame their AI fluency not just as technical knowledge, but as a collaborative strength—one that could help modernise teams and enhance productivity in legacy work environments. The comments come amid broader discussions on AI's impact on the global workforce, with many employers still figuring out how to integrate generative AI tools into business processes without diminishing human roles. For digitally fluent Gen Z professionals, this uncertainty may well be a strategic advantage. Earlier, Hoffman cautioned against the growing trend of portraying AI systems as emotional companions, arguing that such framing risks undermining human relationships and emotional well-being, reported Business Insider. During the Possible podcast, Hoffman asserted that no current AI tool possesses the emotional depth required to qualify as a friend, and that suggesting otherwise could be psychologically harmful, added the publication. 'I don't think any AI tool today is capable of being a friend,' he said. 'And I think if it's pretending to be a friend, you're actually harming the person in so doing.'
Business Insider
18-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Amazon's CEO told employees to get on board with AI. Career coaches and tech leaders agree: It's the only way forward.
Amazon's CEO told employees to get with the AI program on Tuesday, echoing advice from career experts and other tech leaders about the need to skill up, fast. "As we go through this transformation together, be curious about AI, educate yourself, attend workshops and take trainings, use and experiment with AI whenever you can," Andy Jassy wrote. "Participate in your team's brainstorms to figure out how to invent for our customers more quickly and expansively, and how to get more done with scrappier teams." When reached by Business Insider, an Amazon spokesperson declined to comment further on Jassy's remarks. Business Insider asked career coaches what they made of Jassy's advice — and what it means for workers navigating the AI revolution. Amazon CEO's advice is 'realistic' Career coaches said Jassy's advice isn't just an aspiration — it's realistic. "It's neither doom nor utopia," said Ryan Leak, an executive coach and the author of "How to Work With Complicated People." "The sooner people accept that reality, the sooner they can start adding even more value to their teams and organizations," he added. Leak also likened AI not to a passing wave, but a "tide that's shifting the entire shoreline of work." He said the most valuable workers going forward will not be the ones with the most experience but those who stay curious and learn quickly. "You can either be someone helping your company prepare for the future or someone hoping you still fit into it," he said. "Both paths take effort. Only one gives you agency." Marlo Lyons, a certified executive coach, agrees with Jassy "100%" and recommends that employees talk with their managers about how AI could be applied to their roles. "You have to learn AI at this point, because your job is changing," Lyons told BI. But there are still limits to what AI can do. Kathryn Landis, an executive coach and professor at NYU, said that "judgment, nuance, and institutional context" remain areas where AI often makes mistakes. "Make sure that you're studying something that you really gain those critical thinking skills, because that's what's not being replaced," she said. What tech leaders are saying Jassy isn't the only tech boss calling on employees to step up their AI game. LinkedIn's cofounder, Reid Hoffman, said AI should be baked into every team's day-to-day work, whether at a five-person startup or a giant company. To ensure AI integration happens, Hoffman recommended holding weekly or monthly meetings for everyone to share something new they've learned about using AI, he said on an episode of the podcast "Possible" in April. Shopify's CEO, Tobi Lütke, said in an internal memo in the same month that AI usage is "now a fundamental expectation of everyone at Shopify." "Before asking for more Headcount and resources, teams must demonstrate why they cannot get what they want done using AI," Lütke wrote in the memo, which he posted on X. "What would this area look like if autonomous AI agents were already part of the team? This question can lead to really fun discussions and projects." OpenAI's chief product officer, Kevin Weil, said on an episode of "Lenny's Podcast" published in April that the company's chief people officer "vibe coded" an internal tool. The executive used AI to rebuild a system she missed from a previous job. "If our chief people officer is doing it, we have no excuse," Weil said. Hilary Gridley, the head of core product at the wearables company Whoop, created "30 Days of GPT" to help her team form the habit of using AI, she said on a podcast published on Sunday. "I don't know anyone who has gone through this and not come out the other side feeling a hundred times more confident in their skills," she said on a podcast published on Sunday.
