Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei gave a stark warning earlier this week, saying that AI will indeed replace human workers in various industries on an unprecedented scale.
Amodei explained that the AI revolution is unstoppable and is happening sooner than we think. Governments, lawmakers, and employees all need to be aware of what’s happening and prepare accordingly, so when AI displaces between 10% and 20% of white-collar jobs, they’ll be somewhat ready to switch careers.
Amodei spoke more candidly about the elephant in the room than other people in similar positions. It’s not often that you see the CEO of an AI firm working on frontier AI products, which might soon automate workplace tasks and displace millions of workers, address this key topic in such a manner. Most of the time, AI leaders tend to sugarcoat the effects of AI on jobs.
That said, others in the industry are also discussing the matter in public settings, but they have different views.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is one of them, and he, too, believes that AI will steal jobs. His recent message is more optimistic than Amodei’s and, therefore, more aligned with other AI leaders.
But Huang has a more practical take that might actually be helpful. The CEO says he knows exactly who will steal your job, and it’s not just AI. It’ll be someone who already knows how to use AI.
“Every job will be affected, and immediately. It is unquestionable,” Huang said at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference a few weeks ago. “You’re not going to lose your job to an AI, but you’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI.”
As Fortune points out, Huang’s comments are getting more attention now because of Amodei’s warning earlier this week.
Like other CEOs involved in AI in one way or another, Huang is in a position to understand exactly how this new technology will impact jobs and daily life.
Nvidia isn’t the main developer of AI software to replace your job, but the company is making the key components required for AI services like ChatGPT and Claude to operate, the GPUs that make AI computation happen.
Nvidia has profited hugely from the AI revolution and will continue to do so for quite a while. As AI products and services continue to improve and reach more people, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic will need to deploy more servers filled with high-end GPUs from Nvidia.
During the same interview, Huang said that he “would recommend 100% of everybody take advantage of AI. Don’t be that person who ignores this technology and, as a result, loses your job.”
Then again, you don’t have to be the CEO of one of the most important AI-related companies in the world to see where we’re headed. I told you a few months ago that you should start talking to ChatGPT (and/or any other AI chatbot) as soon as possible, even if you hate AI or it scares you.
Using AI is a skill that has to be trained so you can put it to good use at work and at home. It’s just like you’ve trained yourself using a smartphone and computer. But this might be more important than any tech novelty you’ve had to deal with because AI will be baked into everything, especially your job.
Despite surprisingly darker views about AI and jobs, Amodei also said that people should be aware of what AI can do for them and how they can use it to adapt to the coming work environment.
Huang’s comments above contradict Amodei’s view, but they are not a response to Amodei’s take. Nvidia’s CEO offered his remarks weeks ago, but we do have reactions from other well-respected names in the tech industry.
Mark Cuban took to Bluesky to respond to Amodei directly, suggesting that the CEO failed to consider previous workplace revolutions.
“Someone needs to remind the CEO that at one point there were more than 2 million secretaries,” Cuban said. “There were also separate employees to do in-office dictation.”
“They were the original white-collar displacements. New companies with new jobs will come from AI and increase total employment,” he continued.
Cuban’s comparison might reassure those scared that AI will take their place. And he is somewhat right. The difference between now and then is that AI will replace humans suddenly. That’s Amodei’s point. It might all happen much faster than secretaries losing their jobs in the past.
That’s why Huang’s advice is so good. Don’t dread the AI takeover; think about how to use it at work or pursue a different career path in the future.
