- Roman Yampolskiy warns AI could render 99% of workers jobless by 2030
- Artificial general intelligence is predicted to arrive by 2027
- Humanoid robots may automate physical labour within five years
Artificial intelligence (AI) could leave 99 per cent of workers jobless by 2030, according to Roman Yampolskiy, a computer science professor at the University of Louisville. The chilling warning comes at a time when companies across the globe are rapidly implementing AI systems to cut costs and boost revenue.
As per Mr Yampolskiy, a prominent voice in AI safety, even coders and prompt engineers will not be safe from the coming wave of automation that may usurp nearly all jobs.
"We're looking at a world where we have levels of unemployment we've never seen before. Not talking about 10 per cent unemployment, which is scary, but 99 per cent," said Mr Yampolskiy on The Diary of a CEO podcast, adding that human-like intelligence or artificial general intelligence (AGI) will likely arrive by 2027.
Three years after AGI's arrival, the labour market would collapse as AI tools and humanoid robots make hiring humans uneconomical.
"If I can just get, you know, a $20 subscription or a free model to do what an employee does. First, anything on a computer will be automated. And next, I think humanoid robots are maybe 5 years behind. So in five years, all the physical labour can also be automated."
Mr Yampolskiy said employment provides income, structure, status, and community. However, if the jobs were to vanish, societies would need to manufacture all four at scale.
"All jobs will be automated, then there is no plan B. You cannot retrain," he added.
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AI to wipe out jobs
Mr Yampolskiy is not the only one to believe that AI could disrupt the job market. In May, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that AI could soon wipe out 50 per cent of entry-level white-collar jobs within the next five years.
He added that governments across the world were downplaying the threat when AI's rising use could lead to a significant spike in unemployment numbers.
"We, as the producers of this technology, have a duty and an obligation to be honest about what is coming. I don't think this is on people's radar," said Mr Amodei.
"Most of them are unaware that this is about to happen. It sounds crazy, and people just don't believe it," he added.
Similarly, Mo Gawdat, who left Google as its chief business officer in 2018, warned that the 'hell' will begin as early as 2027 as AI eliminates white-collar jobs, with no one spared, including software developers, CEOs, and podcasters.
