Top executives at major U.S. companies are making it clear: AI is changing the workforce — and fast. Some jobs will go, others will grow:
Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy says they’re investing heavily in AI. The result? “Fewer people doing today’s jobs, more people doing new ones.” Overall, Amazon expects a smaller corporate workforce in the next few years.
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan predicts AI will shrink the banking workforce across the industry.
At IBM, AI has already taken over hundreds of HR roles. But CEO Arvind Krishna points out that the company has still added jobs overall.
Shopify’s CEO Tobias Lütke now asks employees to prove AI can’t do a task before they hire someone new. It doesn’t mean layoffs, but it pushes teams to rely on tech first.
Williams-Sonoma’s CEO Laura Alber says they’ll use AI this year to avoid hiring more people.
But it’s not all job cuts. Multiple studies show that AI may increase employment in many sectors:
A European Central Bank study found jobs in AI-exposed roles have grown over the last decade.
U.S. government data shows job growth in most occupations vulnerable to automation.
PwC looked at nearly 1 billion job ads and found that roles most exposed to AI grew by 38% — a bit slower than others, but still significant.
History shows new tech usually creates more jobs than it kills. Think of all the AI-related roles that barely existed a few years ago — now they’re booming: machine learning engineers, data scientists, AI product managers. That said, in the short term, AI will likely impact jobs once considered “safe,” like knowledge workers and creatives.
So what should companies — and workers — do?
Executives are trying to prepare for the AI wave. Some want to innovate. Others may be signaling to shareholders or hunting for top talent. Whatever the reason, one thing’s clear: professionals who learn and use AI will thrive.
Amazon’s Jassy summed it up best in a message to employees:
“Be curious about AI. Learn about it. Use it. Join brainstorming sessions. Find ways to invent faster and get more done with smaller, scrappier teams.”