Few topics, in the recent times, have generated as much debate as artificial intelligence and jobs.
You would hear it everywhere. On podcasts, LinkedIn, at conferences, and even in WhatsApp groups. Someone always knew someone whose job would soon disappear. Entire professions, we were told, were on borrowed time. Software Engineers. Writers. Designers. Customer Support Agents. Nobody seemed safe.
The people making these predictions were often the same people building the technology. So, their warnings carried weight because they were coming from inside the room. And to be fair, workers have had reasons to be nervous. Just this year alone, over 70,000 jobs have been cut, many due to AI and automation, per Layoffs.fyi data. But lately, something interesting has happened.
Some of the same people who helped fuel those anxieties are beginning to sound less certain. This week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admitted he was wrong about how quickly white-collar jobs would be disrupted. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has also similarly pushed back against the growing panic around AI and careers.
Even though the technology is still changing how we work and layoffs are still happening, the people building these systems now seem to agree on one thing: the future may not arrive as quickly as they once predicted.
This week, David explored why some of AI's biggest advocates are softening their earlier predictions and what it means for workers trying to make sense of the future.
— Kelechi, Interim Managing Editor
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