Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has dismissed concerns that artificial intelligence will make human workers redundant, arguing instead that the technology will create labour shortages by increasing productivity and generating new opportunities.
Speaking at the VivaTech technology conference in Paris on Wednesday, Bezos outlined an optimistic vision for the future of AI and its role in society.
“I know there’s a lot of concern that many people have, including many smart people, that AI is going to make humans redundant,” Bezos said. “I totally disagree with this point of view. And I think, in fact, AI is going to create a labour shortage.”
His comments come amid growing concerns about the impact of AI on employment. Many technology companies have announced significant job cuts in recent months while citing efficiency gains from artificial intelligence.
According to global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, U.S.-based employers announced more than 97,000 job cuts in May, with AI-related factors linked to about 40 per cent of those reductions.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll also found that about half of Americans worry that AI could threaten jobs within their households.
Despite these concerns, Bezos argued that humanity’s capacity for work and innovation remains effectively limitless and that AI will help remove barriers that currently constrain productivity and creativity.
The billionaire entrepreneur also discussed his space company, Blue Origin, and AI startup Prometheus, which focuses on accelerating manufacturing processes through artificial intelligence.
Bezos said one long-term goal of space exploration is to relocate heavily polluting industries away from Earth.
“If space travel gets reliable enough and inexpensive enough, and we can get materials from asteroids and near-Earth objects and the moon, then this garden planet can be returned to its pre-Industrial Revolution state,” he said.
Joining Bezos on stage was David Limp, who disclosed that reconstruction work has begun on Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch facility in Florida following an explosion that damaged the site in May.
The comments come as competition intensifies between Blue Origin and SpaceX, which recently completed a historic initial public offering and continues to pursue ambitious plans for lunar and Martian settlements.
