Artificial Intelligence: A Threat to Jobs, Including CEO Positions.

Mo Gawdat, former Google X chief business officer, says AI will likely displace most jobs, including executive roles. He believes even the best professionals won't be safe forever, as AI will be better at everything, including being a CEO. However, other leaders argue that learning AI skills will give workers a competitive edge and make them highly desirable. Companies are planning to upskill their workforce to work alongside AI, rather than replacing human workers with robots.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the modern workplace, and its influence is evident in various sectors. A recent Microsoft study [1] identified 40 professions most likely to be affected by AI, with interpreters, translators, historians, and sales representatives at the top of the list. These roles involve frequent writing, information retrieval, and client communication, tasks that AI excels at.

However, the narrative of widespread job displacement due to AI is being challenged by prominent figures in the tech industry. David Sacks, the White House AI and crypto czar, argues that AI still heavily relies on human supervision and that fears of AI overtaking human jobs are largely overstated [2]. He emphasizes that AI performs the middle-to-middle work, while humans manage the end-to-end processes.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang also offers a different perspective, stating that AI will transform jobs rather than eliminate them. He describes AI as "the greatest technology equalizer of all time" and warns that those who don't embrace it risk being left behind [2].

Mo Gawdat, former Google X chief business officer, takes a more pessimistic view. He believes that AI will displace most jobs, including executive roles, as AI will be better at everything, including being a CEO. However, he acknowledges that learning AI skills will give workers a competitive edge and make them highly desirable.

In response to these challenges, companies are planning to upskill their workforce to work alongside AI rather than replacing human workers with robots. A study by Aon [3] found that three out of four companies now have roles that require AI skills, yet just 31 percent have successfully implemented comprehensive AI strategies. HR is uniquely positioned to shape the impact of AI on the workforce by identifying skill gaps and implementing targeted upskilling and reskilling programs.

As AI adoption accelerates, organizations must strategically equip their workforce with the necessary skills to thrive in an AI-driven future. Waiting to see how AI will impact the workforce is no longer an option. Organizations that act now to upskill and reskill their people will be better positioned for the AI-driven future, while those who wait run the risk of falling behind.

References
[1] https://www.newsweek.com/top-40-jobs-most-likely-impacted-ai-2103956
[2] https://theoutpost.ai/news-story/ai-job-displacement-fears-overhyped-says-trump-s-ai-czar-david-sacks-18582/
[3] https://www.aon.com/en/insights/articles/ai-and-workforce-skills-who-should-act-and-why-now