Artificial Intelligence (AI) may not just reshape the workforce but can eventually take on the role of a CEO, according to Sundar Pichai, the chief executive officer of Google. In an interview with the BBC, Pichai was asked whether AI might threaten all jobs, including his own as a CEO.
Reflecting on his past remarks, Pichai stressed the transformative nature of AI, calling it “the most profound technology humanity has ever worked on, and it has potential for extraordinary benefits.” At the same time, he acknowledged the societal challenges ahead. “We will have to work through societal disruptions,” he said, highlighting the need for careful management of technological change.
Jobs Will Shift, Not Just Disappear
Pichai stressed that while AI will eliminate some roles, it will also transform others. “It will evolve and transition certain jobs, and people will need to adapt,” he explained. The CEO pointed out that new opportunities will arise as a result of AI, citing content creation as an example: “As an example, like YouTubers, anybody will be able to create the content…It will evolve and transition certain jobs, and people will need to adapt…”
He encouraged workers across industries to embrace AI and learn to use it effectively. “People who adopt and adapt to AI will do better,” Pichai said. He assured that professions like teaching and medicine will endure, but success in these fields will increasingly depend on leveraging AI tools: “It doesn’t matter if you are a teacher or doctor.”
CEOs Weigh In On Automation
Pichai’s remarks echo a growing trend among tech leaders predicting AI-driven automation for executive roles. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has stated, “I will be nothing but enthusiastic the day that happens.” Similarly, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO of Klarna, commented on X that “AI is capable of doing all our jobs, my own included.”
Fortune reported that 49 per cent of 500 chief executives surveyed by online learning platform edX believe most or all of their job responsibilities could eventually be automated by AI. However, some leaders remain sceptical. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, for example, said last year, “absolutely not,” highlighting that while AI can perform certain tasks extremely efficiently, it “has no possibility of doing what we do.”