AI jobs sprouted like mushrooms all of a sudden, and even some workers are hiding their AI use from their employers. With this trend, some people feared losing their jobs since machines can now replace them.
With regard to these concerns, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said that artificial intelligence would replace human employees. Defying speculation that AI might displace half of Alphabet’s 180,000-person workforce, Pichai sketched a more positive vision of the future.
Alphabet’s Strategic Cutbacks: Targeted, Not Mass
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai Says AI Won’t Kill Jobs, But
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Since AI is slowly taking over human jobs, many people believe that a decade from now, the majority of the workforce will be automated. For Pichai, AI layoff fears won’t happen.
In an interview with Bloomberg, the 52-year-old executive said that AI technologies enhance engineering productivity by automating mundane tasks and allowing developers to work on meaningful innovation.
“Rather than replacing workers, he referred to AI as ‘an accelerator’ that will drive new product development, thereby creating demand for more employees,” Pichai said.
Although Alphabet conducted several rounds of cuts in the past few years, the corporation is now trending towards more strategic and targeted ones.
In 2023 alone, Alphabet cut 12,000 positions, while at least another 1,000 positions were cut in 2024. Nonetheless, cuts in 2025 have been more targeted, impacting fewer than 100 individuals in its Google Cloud division and several hundred more in its platforms and devices business.
Though reducing the numbers, Sundar Pichai reiterated Alphabet’s focus on long-term growth. He believed that AI is making Google more efficient, but it does not mean that they would prioritize replacing human workers. He also added that the AI progression means they can build faster and better.
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Waymo, Quantum Computing, and YouTube
Pichai referred to Alphabet’s forward-looking initiatives as proof of ongoing innovation. From Waymo’s autonomous car developments to quantum computing research, Alphabet is pushing the boundaries of disruptive technologies that demand new investment and talent.
He also mentioned YouTube’s strong growth, particularly in India, where the platform has more than 100 million active channels and 15,000 creators with over 1 million subscribers.
Addressing Job Displacement Fears in the Age of AI
Acknowledging the unease sparked by AI’s rapid evolution, Pichai responded to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s recent warning that AI could displace half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years.
Yet, Pichai stood by his conviction that AI is more likely to reinvent jobs than replace them entirely, emphasizing the requirement for careful, human-focused innovation.
Will AI Ever Become as Intelligent as Humans?
When asked if artificial general intelligence (AGI), AI equal to human intelligence on every task, was inevitable, Pichai paused for thought. According to TechCrunch, Pichai maintained an optimistic caution regarding the technology, but he said that there would be upcoming innovations and projects for Google.
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