AI could lead to ‘short-term dystopia,’ warns former Google executive

A former executive at Google painted a grim outlook for the near-term based on the speed that Artificial Intelligence technology is advancing unless 'systematic' changes are made.

A former executive at Google says that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could lead to a “short-term dystopia as early as 2027” unless there are “systematic” changes in how AI is prioritized worldwide.

“CEOs are celebrating that they can now get rid of people and have productivity gains and cost reductions because ‘AI can do that job,’” said software engineer Mo Gawdat, who previously served as chief business officer at Google, speaking on a podcast.

Gawdat says that more white-collar workers are going to be at risk of losing their jobs in this “dystopia” scenario, and it may not be just entry-level workers either.

“The one thing they (CEOs) don’t think of is AI will replace them, too,” he said.

Although research in AI technology stretches back several decades, these modern applications have rapidly accelerated within the past couple of years. Companies behind some of the biggest AI developments include META, Alphabet (Google), and OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT.

Now that actual human jobs could be replaced in favour of AI alternatives, some business leaders and policymakers are still optimistic about the potential for job creation — but that may not be the case, according to Gawdat.

“Machines replaced human strength at a certain point in time,” he says in describing the use of machines in sectors like manufacturing and industry, and adds, “similarly, AI is going to replace the brain of a human.”

Gawdat also describes “knowledge workers” in western society as “people who work with information typed at a keyboard, clicked with a mouse, or produced with designs,” and adds: “Everything we produce in western society can be produced by AI.”