At an AI conference in Las Vegas, a sign reading "Stop Hiring Humans" caught everyone's attention. The discussion about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on jobs continues to heat up. According to Fahad Alam of Artisan, they're not afraid to start a conversation about it. Their AI agents can now search for customers, compose emails, and schedule meetings, which were previously done by humans.
According to Goldman Sachs, 300 million jobs could be lost to automation in the coming years. A Metrigy report from 2024 stated that 89% of companies have reduced customer service staff due to AI. But on the other hand, according to the World Economic Forum, 70% of large companies plan to hire employees with AI-related skills in the future.
Joe Murphy of D-iD said that AI is a natural evolution, just like the advent of the car that revolutionized the transportation industry. For example, in US Department of Labor data, from 1992 to 2023, the number of secretaries and admin assistants decreased from 4.1 million to 3.4 million, but the number of computer scientists doubled from 500,000 to 1.2 million. Some jobs are disappearing, but some new jobs are also emerging.
Many companies don't want to be known for using AI, according to Tomasz Tunguz of Theory Ventures. Paloma Ochi of Decagon also said that most businesses are using AI not just to save money but to grow revenue faster. According to Joshua Rumsey of Aisera, companies don't want to lay off employees, but they want to grow without hiring new people.
For this reason, says Mark Hass of Arizona State University, companies must be transparent about the impact of AI on the workplace. Otherwise, there could be negative public reaction. "AI is inevitable," he adds. "It's better to talk about it properly than to let people have misunderstandings."
