Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said on the 17th (local time) that artificial intelligence (AI) will cause a labor shortage rather than replace humans.
According to the BBC, Bezos said at the VivaTech technology conference in Paris, France, "I know that many people, even smart people, are worried that AI will make humans useless," adding, "I don't fully agree with that view, and rather, AI will cause a labor shortage." He added that "AI technology will create new opportunities."
He offered an optimistic view of AI's future role in society, emphasizing that people's limitations lie not in a lack of ambition but in barriers that technology can remove.
Bezos said, "There is an endless amount of work for people to do," and "Right now we can't do these things because of (many) constraints, but AI will lower those constraints." He continued, "If space travel becomes reliable and affordable, and if we can obtain resources from asteroids, near-Earth objects, and the moon, we could return Earth to its pre-Industrial Revolution state."
However, his remarks run counter to the layoff trend at U.S. big tech corporations. Amazon also let go of 30,000 people since late last year, citing reasons such as improved AI efficiency. Andy Jassy, Amazon's chief executive officer (CEO), also said that automation through AI tools will lead to job reductions.