Amazon founder Jeff Bezoz says AI won’t make humans redundant
New Delhi, June 18: Amidst rising concerns related to the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on jobs, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has expressed optimism that the new technology will not make humans redundant.
The technology could instead create a labour shortage by expanding what people and companies are able to do, he said even as companies across the world, including his own, are cutting jobs after investing heavily in automation and AI tools.
“I know there’s a lot of concern that many people have, including many smart people, that AI is going to make humans redundant and so on. I totally disagree with this point of view. And I think, in fact, AI is going to create a labour shortage,” Bezos said at the VivaTech technology conference in Paris.
The comments come at a time when AI-driven efficiencies are increasingly being cited by companies, especially in the technology sector, as a reason for workforce reductions.
Amazon itself has been cutting jobs while investing heavily in AI. The company has reduced 30,000 corporate jobs since late last year, partly due to AI efficiency gains.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy had earlier said increasing automation through AI tools would lead to corporate job losses.
US-based employers announced 97,006 job cuts in May, with AI linked to 40% of the layoffs, according to global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Bezos, the world’s fourth-richest person with a net worth of around $250 billion, said people have “endless” things to do and are currently limited by barriers that AI could lower. (BVI)
