AI Won’t Steal Your Job — Until It Does

What Happened

Artificial intelligence is either the greatest thing to happen to the economy or the beginning of the end for many workers.

However, Marc Andreessen, one of Silicon Valley’s biggest venture capitalists, is all in on AI. He argues the technology will create more jobs because increased productivity drives down prices and opens new industries.

It’s a variation of the same argument made during every technological revolution. When machines take over tasks, people shift into new roles.

Why it Matters

Andreessen asserts that AI will 'increase wages rather than reduce them,' claiming it will make workers more efficient. But that's assuming those workers still have jobs. Many companies are already using AI to replace employees, particularly in white-collar roles.

Customer service, content writing, and even some programming jobs are being taken over by Artificial Intelligence. It’s argued that workers supplanted from their jobs due to AI won’t just seamlessly transition into better-paying roles. Many workers don't have an easy path to reskilling into a different industry.

A recent report from Goldman Sachs estimated AI could replace 300 million full-time jobs worldwide. Even if new opportunities arise, there’s no guarantee they’ll be available to the same workers that AI displaces.

The Industrial Revolution created factory jobs after mechanization eliminated farm work, but it took a generation for workers to adapt. AI is moving at a considerably faster pace.

The argument that AI will follow the same pattern also overlooks one key difference — previous revolutions were about automating manual labor. AI is going after knowledge work, particularly white-collar work.

When machines took over physical tasks, humans still had the advantage in problem-solving, creativity, and communication. AI is now encroaching on those domains.

Even some of AI’s biggest supporters acknowledge the risks it presents. OpenAI’s Sam Altman has warned about the potential for widespread job loss in professional fields. In a blog post, he wrote that AI’s impact on employment 'could be quite dramatic' and governments may need to consider universal basic income as a response. That’s a far cry from Andreessen’s optimism.

How it Affects You

The truth probably falls somewhere in between. AI will create new industries and opportunities but also wipe out a lot of existing jobs. The transition will be messy, and not everyone will come out ahead. Workers who adapt and learn to work alongside AI might benefit, but plenty will get left behind.

Andreessen’s argument is built on the assumption that businesses will reinvest AI-driven profits into expanding their workforces. But that’s simply not how corporations operate. Should AI let a company do the same work with fewer employees, the savings go to shareholders, not displaced workers.

AI isn’t going to stop progressing, and there’s no way to put the genie back in the bottle. The real question is whether governments and businesses will take steps to ensure that workers aren’t collateral damage. If history is any guide, don't hold your breath.