New research from staffing firm Adecco Group suggests a wave of automation is coming, with 41% of executives at large companies around the world predicting they will blame artificial intelligence (AI) within the next five years. is expected to reduce its workforce.
The news comes amid increased adoption of generative AI, a technology that can create realistic text, images, and videos. Some people see this as a tool to eliminate repetitive tasks, while others worry that the entire job will become obsolete.
“Almost every job will be affected by AI in some way,” said Adecco CEO Dennis Macuele. Reuters. “AI can either take away jobs or create jobs.
“Ten years ago, there was a huge fear that many jobs would be destroyed by digital, when in fact many jobs were being created by the digital world,” he says. “We believe there will be a balance between jobs created and jobs destroyed by AI.”
The study involved executives from 18 industries from nine countries, including both white-collar and blue-collar jobs. This paints an even more worrying picture than the previous World Economic Forum poll, in which half of companies believed AI would create new jobs rather than eliminate them.
Recent layoffs in the tech industry lend credence to these concerns. Companies like Google and Microsoft are shifting their focus to AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini, leading to job cuts. Even outside technology companies like Dropbox and Duolingo are citing AI as a reason for their downsizing.
Economists at Goldman Sachs have previously warned that generative AI could eliminate or significantly impact up to 300 million jobs around the world, with white-collar workers being the most vulnerable. Adecco research suggests this prediction could become a reality within the next five years.