Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former US President Barack Obama have raised serious concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential to disrupt the global job market. Both warned that AI could replace millions of jobs in the coming years, describing it as something that people have not seen in 100 years. Gates said that forms of intelligence, which are currently considered rare, like those of doctors and teachers, will eventually become free and accessible through AI. While he acknowledged that “AI is a bit scary”, he emphasised its potential to “solve problems” and “drive innovation forward”.
Obama, on a separate occasion, warned that AI-driven automation will soon impact jobs across all sectors. He stressed that this shift will force people to rethink how they earn a living and secure an income to put food on the table.
Bill Gates on AI
Bill Gates described the coming AI era as one that will fundamentally change how society views intelligence. “The era we come to is sort of the vision that computing was expensive, then it basically became free. The era we are just starting is that intelligence is rare, with great doctors and great teachers. And with AI, over the next decade, that will become free, commonplace,” he said.
He added, “Great medical advice, great tutoring… It’s kind of profound because it solves all of these specific problems, like we don’t have enough doctors or mental health professionals. But it brings with it kind of so much change, like what would jobs be like, should we work two or three days a week?”
Gates acknowledged AI’s potential to drive innovation, but at the same time, highlighted the uncertainty that comes along. “This is a bit scary,” he expressed.
When asked whether human input would still be necessary, he explained, “We’ll decide. Like baseball, we don’t want computers to play baseball. There’d be some things that we will reserve for ourselves. But in terms of making things and moving things and growing food, over time, AI will be basically solving problems.”
What did Barack Obama say?
Obama, too, highlighted the disruptive speed at which AI is evolving, calling it more impactful than any previous wave of technological change.
“As profound as that technology has been, AI will be more impactful, and it is going to come faster. To some degree, it’s an extension of this long trend towards automation, but it’s not just automating manufacturing processes or the use of robot arms. We’re now starting to see these models, these platforms able to perform really high-level, what we consider to be really high-level intellectual work,” Obama said.
He noted that current AI models already outperform the majority of software developers, and added, “Already, the current models of AI can code better than let’s call it 60, 70% of coders. Now, we are talking highly skilled jobs that pay really good salaries, and that up until recently have been entirely a seller’s market in Silicon Valley. A lot of that work is going to go away.”
He explained that while top professionals will use AI to enhance their work, routine jobs would be erased altogether.
“So, it may be that everybody now, not just blue collar workers, not just factory workers, are going to have to figure out Where do I get a job? How do I get enough income to feed my family? All of us will be facing some questions about, we’re producing a lot of stuff. How do we distribute it? And what’s fair and what’s not? And how do we get purpose and meaning in our lives?” Obama further stressed.
Social media reactions
While reacting to the videos where both Gates and Obama warned of mass layoffs across sectors due to the integration of AI, one social media user asked, “But is this really the future we want? Can machines truly replace the human touch in healthcare and education?”
“The question is, what will be the safest and most lucrative skill sets to remain in demand?” asked another.
A third said, “Just like the newspapers and magazines were replaced with the Internet… right!”
“That is a concerning prediction for the future of healthcare and education,” commented a third.
A fourth posted, “So serious concern raised by Obama. The world is even prepared for this?”
“A pharmacy in town has a robot fill prescriptions already!” posted yet another X user.