Amazon founder Jeff Bezos rejects fear of AI driven joblessness, predicts labour shortage

Speaking at the VivaTech technology conference in Paris on Wednesday, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos dismissed widespread fears that artificial intelligence will render humans redundant, instead predicting that AI will create a labour shortage. Bezos, whose net worth is estimated at around $250 billion, presented an optimistic view of AI’s societal impact while discussing his ventures including space company Blue Origin and the manufacturing-focused AI startup Prometheus.

“I know there's a lot of concern that many people have, including many smart people, that AI is going to make humans redundant and so on,” Bezos said. He added, “I totally disagree with this point of view. And I think, in fact, AI is going to create a labour shortage.” His comments come at a time when companies worldwide are cutting jobs while increasing investments in AI, often citing productivity gains from the technology.

According to a report by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas cited by Reuters, US-based employers announced 97,006 job cuts in May, with AI linked to 40 per cent of those layoffs. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that half of Americans fear AI could put them or someone in their household out of work. The rise of AI has also triggered resistance across different segments of the workforce, from Gen Z job seekers to labour unions at South Korean automakers and scriptwriters in Hollywood.

Bezos argued that people have an endless number of tasks to pursue and that AI would help remove barriers that currently limit productivity. Amazon has eliminated about 30,000 corporate roles since late last year, partly due to AI-driven efficiency gains. Earlier, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy had said that greater automation through AI tools would result in reductions in corporate jobs.