Anthropic CEO claims AI will cause mass unemployment in the next 5 years

tomsguide.com

10 points·belter··6 comments

Shovel salesman seeking multi-billion dollar investments in his shovel technology predicts that his shovels will replace all prior shoveling methods in about 5 years.

I'm really struggling with Amodei's position because it feels like he (and lots of others) are essentially saying that either AI won't create more job opportunities OR that AI will automatically replace the roles it displaces.

I find both of those positions to be pretty naive which instinctively makes me feel like I'm missing something people way smarter than me (like Amodei) can see but yet never seems to be articulated in these articles.

It also assumes that even in the case that AI replaces all these roles that the transition will be immediate when it's way more likely that it'll take years beyond the point the technology can do that for adoption to hit high numbers. Most companies simply aren't set up to move that fast.

More discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44136117

Wake me up when AI shows the slightest spark of creativity and originality.

When it demonstrates the ability to synthesize unique solutions to problems given nothing but an objective. For example --- find a cure for cancer. And arsenic isn't acceptable for obvious reasons.

This may be true but for the wrong reasons: as the AI bubble bursts it will suck any remaining air out of the economy.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com