A former top executive at Google has shared a grim prediction about the future of work, warning that artificial intelligence (AI) could wipe out most human jobs in the next 15 years — including those once thought to be safe.
Mo Gawdat, who previously served as Chief Business Officer at Google X, believes that AI will soon become so powerful that it will take over everything from coding and podcasting to executive roles like CEOs. Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Gawdat said, “The next 15 years will be hell before we get to heaven.”
He explained that his own startup, which builds emotionally intelligent AI for relationships, only needs three people to run it, something that would’ve required hundreds of employees just a few years ago. “That startup would’ve been 350 developers in the past,” he said.
According to Gawdat, the rapid rise of AI will not only make jobs vanish but also destroy the middle class. “Unless you're in the top 0.1%, you're a peasant,” he warned. “AGI [Artificial General Intelligence] will be better at everything than humans, even being a CEO.”
He also fears this change will spark major social problems. As people lose their jobs, they may struggle with identity, loneliness, and mental health. “We’re going to see a lot of social unrest,” he said.
Gawdat’s warning comes shortly after another AI pioneer, Geoffrey Hinton, often called the “Godfather of AI” — raised similar concerns. Hinton said AI systems may soon develop their own private language to communicate, which humans wouldn’t be able to understand or control.
“If they start thinking in their own language, we might not even know what they’re thinking,” Hinton said.
While AI continues to offer powerful tools for innovation, these warnings suggest that society must quickly prepare for a future where machines do most of the work and humans must find new meaning, purpose, and protection.
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