Geoffrey Hinton, often called the "Godfather of AI," has issued a stark warning about the future of work in the age of artificial intelligence. In a recent appearance on the podcast "Diary of a CEO," Hinton, a Nobel laureate and a pioneer in neural networks, predicted that AI will soon replace many white-collar and desk-based jobs, especially those involving routine intellectual tasks such as paralegals and call center roles.
Hinton explained that AI is rapidly advancing in its ability to handle tasks that rely on pattern recognition, documentation, and repetitive processes—areas where many office jobs reside. He cautioned that, for these "mundane intellectual labor" positions, AI is poised to "replace everybody," making it increasingly difficult for people in such roles to remain indispensable unless they possess highly specialized skills.
However, Hinton did offer a glimmer of hope for workers concerned about automation. He singled out plumbing as a profession that is likely to remain safe from AI disruption for the foreseeable future. "I'd say it's going to be a long time before [AI is] as good at physical manipulation as us—and so a good bet would be to be a plumber," Hinton said. Unlike desk jobs, plumbing requires intricate hands-on skills, improvisation, and physical dexterity—areas where current AI and robotics technologies still lag far behind human capability.
Hinton’s message is clear: while AI may soon dominate roles that involve sitting at a desk and processing information, jobs that require complex physical manipulation and real-world problem-solving—like plumbing—are much harder for machines to replicate. As the world continues its march toward automation, Hinton suggests that training for such skilled trades could be a wise move for those seeking job security in an uncertain future.
AI is going to eliminate jobs, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy laid out in a note to employees on Tuesday.
Jassy wrote that the company plans to reduce its workforce in the coming years because the increasing use of artificial intelligence will eliminate the need for certain jobs. He didn’t specify how much the size of Amazon’s workforce would be reduced.
Sources tell me that Amazon doesn’t expect to have mass layoffs shortly like it did in 2022 and 2023, with the decrease in headcount expected to happen largely through attrition. But some teams could see layoffs over time. Organizations such as teams working on the Alexa smart speaker have previously experienced layoffs.
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There’s a tightrope every company has to walk when they're talking about transformative technology. It's got complete excitement on one side, and desperate anxiety on the other.
You have to give Amazon credit for walking out on that tightrope. CEO Andy Jassy's internal communication to his workforce today paints a compelling picture about how AI will reshape customer experiences, change internal workflows, and allow the company to do wholly new things. But at the same time, he has to admit that the likely impact is that the company will employ fewer people in a few years.
So some of that messaging will seem exciting to employees, but some of it will seem absolutely terrifying to people who rely on Amazon for their livelihood. It's only natural for people to ask what it means for their job, not just today, but five years from now. They'll want to know whether the skills they're building will still matter, and whether Amazon will be a place that invests in people as much as in models.
Clearly, companies shouldn't have to hide their ambition. But if they want to attract and retain the best talent, they have to find ways to balance the growth story (in technology) with the contraction story (in people). That's not easy.
The narrative can’t just be “this changes everything.” It has to also include “and here’s how we’re bringing our people along for the ride.” If that’s missing, the message might resonate with investors, but fall flat with the very people you’re hoping will stay on the journey with you.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy confirmed what many professionals have feared:
As AI becomes more capable, the corporate workforce will shrink.
Let’s be honest — the changes aren’t coming.
They’re here.
But here’s what’s not being talked about enough:
🧠 It’s not just jobs being replaced.
💼 Its skill sets are becoming outdated.
If you’re in a leadership, operations, marketing, HR, or strategy role, this should be a wake-up call.
You don’t need to become a machine learning expert.
But you do need to become AI fluent — and fast.
Resources like the AI Executive Toolkit will help smart professionals become indispensable in an AI-driven workplace.
Because in this new world of work, irrelevance is the real layoff notice.
Let’s prepare. Let’s adapt. Let’s lead.