Former Google executive Mo Gawdat issued a warning on the Diary of a CEO podcast, stating that middle-class livelihoods would soon be destroyed by artificial intelligence (AI). He predicted that automation driven by AI would end all occupations, from podcasters to software engineers and CEOs, and that the disruption would start as early as 2027, a time he referred to as “hell before we get to heaven”.
How AI is Replacing White-Collar Jobs
Gawdat mentioned his own company, Emma.love, an AI-enabled emotional and relationship-focused firm currently operated by just three people. Gawdat was the Chief Business Officer at Google X until 2018. On the other hand, similar operations once employed as many as 350 developers. He said, “As a matter of fact, podcaster is going to be replaced,” highlighting the sheer number of jobs being lost.
He also cautioned that the educated middle class, which is the foundation of contemporary economies, will be destroyed by the impending wave of automation. “Unlike previous revolutions that largely affected manual work, this one will sweep through offices and jobs once thought secure.”
The Decline of the Middle Class
A grim future of growing inequality and deteriorating social cohesiveness was depicted by Gawdat. He projected that people would lose their economic significance unless they were among the top 0.1%. He went on to say that you are a peasant until you are among the top 0.1%. The middle class does not exist.
As people lose their purpose and their careers, he cautioned of an increase in mental health problems, loneliness, and discontent. In spite of his dire cautions, Gawdat nevertheless outlined a positive outlook for the years after 2040. He envisioned a world freed from consumerist ideals and routine work, one that prioritised love, community, creativity, and spirituality.
But in order for this to occur, he contended, governments and businesses need to take immediate action, putting in place safeguards like universal basic income and moral, value-based AI development, as reported by the New York Post. He informed Bartlett that although the world is on the verge of a short-term dystopia, we still have the power to determine what happens next. He added that fair access and regulation have a critical role in determining results.
Industry Experts Echo Concerns
The tech and scientific research community is becoming increasingly concerned, as seen by Gawdat’s warnings. Up to half of entry-level office jobs could go in the next five years, according to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who has warned of a possible “white-collar bloodbath”.
According to Harvard experts, approximately 35% of white-collar jobs are now automatable, and 40% of businesses globally anticipate staff cutbacks as a result of AI breakthroughs, according to a World Economic Forum study. His worries about plummeting wages, high wealth concentration, and increased social volatility are also echoed by a number of organisations, including MIT and PwC, unless significant legislative actions are implemented.
Another source of worry is the recent warning from Geoffrey Hinton, who is frequently called the “Godfather of AI”, that AI models may create secret internal languages that are incomprehensible to humans, making it hard to decipher their motivations and reasoning processes.
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