Geoffrey Hinton, the Godfather of AI, has warned in a recent interview with CNN that AI impact on jobs can exceed by 2026, because advanced systems are doing complex work and changing how companies hire, plan, and operate.
His warnings reflect serious concerns around AI and jobs, as intelligence moves beyond support tools and becomes essential to how work is done in different aspects.
AI and Future Jobs
According to Hinton, the AI impact on jobs is related to how quickly AI systems are improving.
“We’re going to see AI get even better. It’s already extremely good,” he told CNN. Progress is happening faster than most people expect.
A major force behind this change is generative AI and jobs, as modern systems can now write text, analyze information, and assist with long-term projects. The world changes, and tasks that once required several workers and human effort to achieve, can now simply be handled by a single AI system within a short amount of time.
The rapid pace of development raised tech unemployment fears, most specifically in roles that involve repeated digital tasks or basic problem-solving actions. As AI becomes cheaper and more capable, companies see strong incentives to automate and the AI impact on jobs grows.
As a result, businesses are now forced to rethink their AI and jobs interactions, with many preferring to invest in technology rather than expand their workforce.
The Growing Pressure of White-Collar AI Related Jobs
The next phase of AI impact on jobs will hit white-collar roles, meaning office-based roles, including software development and research.
“In a few years, it’ll be able to do software engineering projects that are months long, and then there’ll be very few people needed,” Hinton said, warning that fewer people may be needed.
This shift highlights concerns around AI and job displacement, as productivity rises while the number of available roles may shrink. Economists warn this could widen inequality if gains are not shared.
In the meantime, companies continue to create AI related jobs, particularly for engineers and specialists who design, train, and monitor these systems.
The debate around AI and the future of jobs is ongoing, with business leaders divided on whether automation will ultimately create more opportunities than it removes. The scale of AI impact on jobs could lead to a jobless boom, where output grows but hiring does not keep pace.
Looking at economic trends, they already signal a rising tech unemployment, as firms rely more on automation to meet demand with smaller teams.
Looking ahead, jobs and AI are also changing how people are hired, with automated tools increasingly shaping AI and job applications.
For many workers, the concern feels immediate, as AI impact on jobs becomes part of daily business decisions and fears around AI and job replacement move from theory into reality.
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