Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the world we live in and the offices we work in. From automated customer support to writing long code, we are already seeing machine models taking over repetitive or complex tasks and replacing humans. In the US alone, recent reports suggest that around 55,000 jobs have been lost due to AI-driven automation. This trend is expected to accelerate in the coming years. In fact, according to Yoshua Bengio, it is “just a matter of time” before AI replaces most — and eventually all — human jobs we currently see.
Bengio recently appeared on The Diary of a CEO podcast, where he spoke at length about the rise of AI, automation, and the risks of machines taking over human work. During the conversation, he argued that the roles most at risk are those that rely heavily on computers. He describes them as “cognitive jobs, the jobs that you can do behind a keyboard”, and says these are already being disrupted by increasingly capable AI systems. While mass unemployment has not yet materialised, Bengio insists that the trajectory of automation is clearly heading in that direction.
“It’s more a matter of time than if. Unless we hit a scientific wall that prevents us from making AI smarter and smarter, these systems will be able to do more and more of the work that people do today,” he said.
According to Bengio, companies are already eager to integrate AI into their workflows, even if large-scale adoption takes time. This, he explains, is why the impact of AI taking over is often subtle at first– replacing fewer entry-level roles, slower hiring, and quiet automation, rather than sudden mass layoffs. He highlights how the young workers, especially those entering the workforce, are already feeling the pressure as firms reduce junior positions in favour of AI tools.
Meanwhile, as for what jobs will be most impacted by AI, there is also a common belief that skilled trades may offer protection from automation. But Bengio is sceptical about this. While physical jobs such as plumbing or electrical work may take longer to be replaced, he believes robotics will eventually close the gap. He suggests that as more robots are deployed, they will generate vast amounts of data, accelerating their ability to learn and perform complex physical tasks.
“If you do a physical job, it’s going to take more time,” Bengio said, referencing advice often given by fellow AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton. “But I think it’s only a temporary thing.”
Bengio, whose decades-long work helped lay the foundations of modern AI, also spoke about his own regrets. Looking back, he admits he underestimated the scale of disruption the technology could bring. “I should have seen this coming much earlier, but I didn’t pay much attention to the potentially catastrophic risks,” he said. He revealed that these concerns deepened with the arrival of generative AI systems such as ChatGPT.
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