Hinton recently received the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to machine learning.(image-X/@TheOfficialACM)

Geoffrey Hinton, widely regarded as the “Godfather of AI,” has issued a stark warning about the future of work in the age of artificial intelligence. In a recent episode of the Diary of a CEO podcast, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist cautioned that AI is rapidly advancing to a point where it will render many white-collar jobs obsolete, potentially triggering mass unemployment across industries. 

Hinton, who laid the foundations of modern neural networks in the late 1970s and recently received the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to machine learning, expressed deep concerns about the accelerating automation of intellectual labour.

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“I think for mundane intellectual labour, AI is just going to replace everybody,” he said, noting that repetitive and non-creative tasks, once the domain of large white-collar teams, can now be done by a single person working alongside an AI assistant. 

He pointed to paralegals and customer service agents as professions already facing disruption, noting that tools like large language models are increasingly capable of handling document review, legal drafting, and even real-time conversation. “I’d be terrified if I had a job as a call centre operator,” Hinton remarked, citing how easily AI systems are automating roles that previously relied on human interaction. 

In contrast, Hinton said blue-collar roles that require manual dexterity and real-world interaction are less at risk in the short term. “It’s going to be a long time before [AI] is as good at physical manipulation. So, a good bet would be to be a plumber,” he said

Pushing back against the narrative that AI will create new opportunities to replace lost jobs, Hinton argued that the unique nature of AI disruption, especially in cognitive labour, makes it fundamentally different from past waves of technological change. “You’d have to be very skilled to have a job that it just couldn’t do,” he said. 

Hinton also expressed concern for young professionals and freshers, whose entry-level tasks are now being taken over by AI. He warned that the stepping stones many workers once relied on to build careers are vanishing. “AI is already replacing entry-level work, which used to be the pathway for people just starting out,” he added. 

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While AI could still play an assistive role in some professions, particularly in fields like healthcare, where human interaction remains critical, the overarching trend, according to Hinton, is toward consolidation. “That means one person will do what used to be the work of 10 people,” he said, predicting significant layoffs even where AI is adopted as a tool rather than a replacement. 

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”