Fears that artificial intelligence could lead to massive job losses may be exaggerated, according to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.
Speaking in a media interview, Jassy said AI is more likely to reshape the nature of work rather than completely eliminate employment opportunities.
Jassy acknowledged that many roles which have relied heavily on human labour for the past two to three decades may require fewer people in the future. However, he stressed that this does not mean jobs will disappear altogether.
Instead, new types of roles will emerge, just as they have during every major technological shift in history.
“I do believe that a lot of the jobs that we’ve thrown human beings at the last 20 or 30 years, you won’t need as many human beings doing those same jobs. But I also think there will be other jobs created. And that has always happened in every technology shift,” he said.
Meanwhile, multiple reports also suggested that AI will reshape jobs, not destroy them.
Morgan Stanley in recent report suggested that the long-term impact may be less severe than many expect.
“While some roles will be automated, most workers are unlikely to be permanently left behind. Instead, many are expected to shift into new types of jobs, including roles that do not yet exist,” the report stated.
To support its argument, Morgan Stanley pointed to major technological shifts over the past 150 years, including electricity, mechanised farming, computers and the internet.
These innovations transformed industries and altered job requirements, but they did not replace human labour altogether.
The report by Morgan Stanley cited the rise of spreadsheets in the 1980s as a useful example.
While spreadsheets reduced the need for certain clerical tasks, they also enabled financial professionals to focus on more complex and higher-value work. Over time, this shift helped create new careers in finance rather than destroy the sector.