Former Microsoft executive Craig Mundy said artificial intelligence is no longer just a tool, but is moving closer to independent intelligence with consequences that could reshape society.
In a series of interviews with Business Insider, Mundy and four other former leaders of OpenAI, Google, DeepMind, and the White House described a future in which AI systems become more capable, more autonomous, and harder to control.
Their warnings are centered around the idea that this technology is advancing faster than society can manage.
Craig Mundie is a former Microsoft executive who runs Mundie & Associates, a firm that advises organizations on AI and more. Craig Mundy and Mundy & Associates
In the coming years, they said, AI could transform labor markets, centralize power and introduce new risks, from cyberattacks to autonomous weapons, while also bringing breakthroughs in health care and education.
Ultimately, they say, the outcome, for better or worse, will depend on how humans choose to deploy it.
Jobs may disappear faster than the system can adapt
Google’s former chief business officer Mo Gaudat said AI could replace jobs within five years, starting with intellectual labor and eventually manual labor.
“There are AI agents in the real world, and AI can actually carry things, move things, and replace all kinds of jobs,” Gaudat said. “Intellectual work and blue-collar work.”
Mo Gawdat is the former chief business officer of Google X and currently advises on AI development and human well-being. business insider
Camille Stewart Gloucester, who served as White House acting national cyber director from 2022 to 2024, said companies are already restructuring their operations. Tasks such as initial research and document reviews are shrinking, and the shape of entry-level roles is changing.
He explained that the labor market is moving from a pyramid shape with many entry-level roles to a diamond shape with more roles concentrated in the middle class.
This transition could leave workers behind. Stewart Gloster argued the move was premature, with some companies cutting jobs before they understood what skills they would need next.
Former OpenAI researcher Daniel Cocotadillo said the change may not be gradual. Instead, AI systems could “populate” and automate large parts of the economy in the short term.
Powerful technology with few guardrails
Ramana Kumar is a former research scientist at DeepMind. business insider
Ramana Kumar, a former DeepMind research scientist, said modern AI systems are designed to be persuasive and not necessarily truthful. So while it’s convenient, it’s also dangerous.
Cocotajiro added that even today’s systems lack reliable controls and can produce misleading information, even though they are trained not to do so.
Concerns grow as systems gain autonomy.
Future AI could integrate vast amounts of information in ways that humans cannot, giving it unique advantages in solving complex problems, Mandy said.
Daniel Kokotajlo is a former OpenAI researcher and current executive director of the AI Futures Project. business insider
This feature has the potential to be a major breakthrough. Mandy cited healthcare as one of the most directly impactful areas where AI can identify the root causes of disease by analyzing the entire human body system rather than narrow disciplines.
“You don’t have to ask 10 experts the same question,” Mundy says. “The machine will do that for you.”
Yet the same forces create new vulnerabilities. Stewart Gloster warned that generative AI will magnify cyber threats, making phishing attacks more convincing and easier to carry out.
“They can also use generative AI to find out a lot about you and very quickly adjust their communications to harm you or get information from you,” Steward Gloster said.
Race to develop smarter AI accelerates risks
Camille Stewart Gloster is the former White House Deputy Director of National Cyber and currently CEO and President of CAS Strategies, LLC. business insider
Several experts pointed to competition between companies and countries as the main source of risk.
With AI institutes and governments racing to build more powerful systems quickly, superintelligent AI could be widely deployed before safety measures are in place, Cocotajiro said.
“I think this racial pressure will lead the leaders of these countries and their companies to aggressively deploy superintelligence in their economies and militaries,” he said.
Another concern is concentration of power, Kumar said. Organizations that manage data centers and models can have disproportionate influence over how AI is used and deployed.
This power relationship makes regulation difficult. Stewart Gloster, who advises policymakers, industry leaders and global organizations on technology, cybersecurity and national security, added that governments are still figuring out what rules are needed, while businesses themselves are uncertain about the skills and systems they should prioritize.
A future shaped by human decisions
Despite the risks, experts explained the potential benefits that could reshape daily life.
In particular, Mandy said AI could act as a constant tutor, making education more accessible. It could also accelerate scientific discovery, climate research, and medicine.
Some people imagine a future where work is no longer the focus.
Kumar said AI could reduce the need for long working hours and allow people to spend their time elsewhere, but this would require changes to incomes and the way the economic system functions.
Ultimately, Goudat framed the outcome as a choice. If applied successfully, AI can bring about a more prosperous society. If applied poorly, they can deepen inequalities, erode trust, and concentrate power.
“Technology is often neutral,” Mundy says. “It’s what people do with them that makes the difference.”
AI may become the most powerful system built by humanity. What happens next depends less on the machine itself and more on the humans shaping it.
