Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) would take over a large number of entry-level white-collar jobs within the next one to five years, raising concerns about a possible employment crisis in sectors such as finance, consulting and technology.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Amodei said AI systems are advancing at a pace that many people, businesses and policymakers may be underestimating.
According to him, tasks traditionally assigned to junior employees, including summarising documents, brainstorming ideas and preparing financial reports, are increasingly within the capabilities of modern AI systems.
The warning from one of the leading AI companies in the world confirms that the concerns earlier expressed by bodies like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) over AI-induced job losses are not unfounded.
What the Anthropic CEO is saying
Amodei said the technology has improved dramatically in just two years. He explained that while AI previously operated at the level of a smart high school student, it now performs closer to the level of a smart college student and is continuing to improve.
The Anthropic chief noted that while AI could bring major benefits such as breakthroughs in healthcare, cheaper energy and scientific discovery, the same capabilities may disrupt the labour market.
- “I think AI has exactly the kind of skills that are needed to cure important diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s, to provide cheaper energy, and many positive things.
- “But exactly that same kind of skills, things like summarizing a document, brainstorming, putting together a financial report, make me worry a lot that entry-level jobs in areas like finance, consulting, tech, many, many other areas like that, are going to be first augmented, but before long, replaced by AI systems.
- “It’s hard to predict the future, but we may indeed have a serious employment crisis on our hands as the pipeline for these early-stage white-collar work starts to contract and dry up,” he said.
When asked how soon this could happen, Amodei said:
- “Given how fast AI is making progress, I would not be surprised if, somewhere between one and five years, we started to see big effects here. I’ve heard a number of people talk about this in private.”
More insights
The Anthropic CEO noted that despite the threat to jobs, AI cannot be stopped. According to him, AI CEOs are “talking about this in private”, but they have to keep building.
- “I do think that this is something we can prevent. I don’t think we can stop the AI bus. You know, there are six or seven companies just in the U.S. working in this area. I just ran one of them.
- “Even if our company stopped doing what it was doing today, all the other companies would continue. Even if all six companies stopped, then China would beat us,” he said.
Rather than attempting to stop AI, he urged governments to focus on managing the transition and reducing the social fallout.
Among the measures he suggested were helping workers adapt through AI education and reskilling, as well as considering economic policies to redistribute gains from automation.
Amodei said one possible option could include taxing AI companies, though he acknowledged the idea may be controversial.
What you should know
Last year, a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with Poland’s National Research Institute (NASK), revealed that revealed that 25% of jobs globally are potentially exposed to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), with clerical and highly digital roles most affected.
The report noted that while one in four jobs (25%) worldwide is potentially exposed to GenAI, that figure climbs to 34% in high-income countries, reflecting greater digital integration in those economies.
Earlier, the IMF had declared that nearly 40% of jobs globally would be influenced by artificial intelligence, with advanced economies expected to experience a higher impact compared to emerging markets and low-income nations.
