An artificial intelligence (AI) specialist has revealed the professions he’s certain will vanish within 24 months as AI quietly eliminates entire employment sectors. During a recent appearance on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast, Geoffrey Hinton – dubbed the ‘Godfather of AI’ – discussed the ‘lethal perils’ of AI that ‘nobody is ready for’.
Geoffrey Hinton is a prominent computer scientist and cognitive psychologist. Due to his groundbreaking contributions to neural networks and deep learning, he is universally acknowledged as the ‘Godfather of AI’.
He was awarded the 2018 Turing Award, which is frequently termed the Nobel Prize of computing. In 2023, he left Google to alert the public about AI’s escalating threats, reports the Mirror.
Throughout the ninety-minute episode, which has now garnered over 7.4 million views on YouTube, Bartlett and Hinton explore why the AI authority believes “there’s a 10–20% chance AI wipes us out”. They also examine Hinton’s assertions that speaking candidly about AI resulted in him being ‘silenced’.
“I left Google because I needed to speak freely about what I believe is an existential threat,” he said. Hinton also confesses to experiencing ‘regret’ for his role in developing AI.
The duo additionally addresses the so-called ‘six lethal threats’ AI currently presents to humanity. However, it’s not entirely doom and gloom, as they also explore AI’s capacity to revolutionise healthcare, enhance productivity, and reshape education.
One segment of the episode that has sparked a flurry of comments is Hinton’s list of occupations he believes will no longer need human input in two years, as they’ll be replaced by AI. Hinton cautions about an AI-driven upheaval in the employment sector and foresees a significant shift towards automation by mid-2027.
Hinton raises the alarm that present-day AI systems might already harbour elements of consciousness. He stresses the necessity for immediate worldwide collaboration to avoid ‘uncontrollable consequences’.
Which professions could AI replace?
Hinton points out that jobs involving basic reasoning, writing, and analytical tasks are currently most vulnerable, as he tells viewers ‘this isn’t just speculation, it’s already happening’. He further warns: “The real danger isn’t that AI will fail to do your job. It’s that it will do it better – and cheaper.”
A major firm discussed in the interview has reportedly slashed its workforce from 7,000 to 3,600, with Hinton indicating that the number will soon drop to 3,000. During the show, he lists several jobs he believes face the greatest threat of robot replacement.
These include:
- Telemarketers and cold callers.
- Junior legal and financial analysts.
- Customer service and marketing assistants.
Bartlett inquired: “Are there any particular industries that you think are most at risk? People talk about the creative industries a lot, knowledge work, and lawyers and accountants and jobs like that.”
To which Hinton replied: “Yeah, so that’s why I mentioned plumbers, I think plumbers are less at risk… Someone like a legal assistant, a paralegal, they’re not going to be needed for very long.”
Explaining his rationale, he points out that AI chatbots and CRM automation are revolutionising outbound communications. He further notes that AI tools have now evolved to handle contract review and data analysis with ease.
When it comes to customer service and marketing support, Hinton observes that AI systems are increasingly taking on repetitive tasks. Even in personal anecdotes, Hinton shares that his niece, who once crafted customer responses by hand, now simply uploads complaints to an AI system, receives a draft within seconds, reviews it, and sends off the response.
This process has slashed the time required from 25 minutes to a mere five, he says, concluding: “That’s five times more efficient, meaning four out of five humans.” Hinton’s insights echo other experts in the field of AI.
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, cautions about swift job displacement in white-collar sectors within the next year and a half. Meanwhile, Demis Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind, suggests that while automation may generate novel job categories, this hinges on society’s ability to adapt swiftly.
The primary catalyst for this transformation is the reality that AI and automation technologies are rendering routine cognitive and administrative positions obsolete. Economic factors also play a significant role, as businesses are increasingly opting for AI solutions that are ‘faster, cheaper, and doesn’t require benefits’.
What jobs aren’t likely to be replaced by AI?
Nonetheless, Hinton believes there are certain roles that AI is unlikely to replace. These are ‘essential’ professions that necessitate intricate human interaction, such as:
- Plumbers.
- Nurses.
- Teachers.
- And any other jobs that require ’empathy, creativity, and judgment’.
At the beginning of the episode, Bartlett inquires: “What would you be saying to people about their career prospects in a world of super intelligence?” To which Hintopn responds: “Train to be a plumber.”
Despite concerns that AI’s growing ability to perform routine cognitive tasks threatens many existing jobs, experts like Hinton suggest embracing AI by working with it and supervising its operations rather than allowing it to assume complete control over employment. By harnessing human qualities such as empathy, creativity, and problem-solving, society can transition into roles where machines are unable to replace humans.
“No, I don’t think we can slow it down,” Hinton admits. “It’s too good, too useful – in healthcare, warfare, education. Nobody wants to put it on hold. Maybe we can’t stop it. But perhaps we can create AI that never wishes to harm us… Ask yourself what am I doing right now to make myself indispensable in a world that doesn’t need me?”