A former Google executive shares tips for surviving in the age of AI.
Google’s former chief executive Mo Gaudat predicts that 30% of certain jobs will disappear by 2028, but people can still “double up on human power” to weather the disruption.
“Unfortunately, there’s going to be a whole generation of people who are currently out of college who are going to struggle,” Gaudat said on Sunday’s episode of Stephen Bartlett’s podcast “The Diary Of A CEO.” “And my advice to them is to learn the tools and focus on human-centered work.”
“Many people can make a living as nurses or counselors or anything that involves working with people,” Gaudat added.
His comments come as technology leaders increasingly point to communication, relationship building and good judgment as skills that remain difficult to automate.
OpenAI President Greg Brockman recently said that “taste” is “the new core skill.” He said AI can produce things quickly, but it requires judgment to decide what to leave behind.
Duolingo CEO Louis von Ahn said in a podcast interview in May that AI still cannot match the work of the company’s artists and designers, and that the company won’t allow it to compromise the quality of its apps.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff also said during an earnings call in May that the company’s engineering headcount has remained “pretty much the same” at about 15,000 over the past two years, but the company is still adding sales staff.
“Because I think everyone understands that what we’re doing here with you guys, which is sales and communication, is not exactly what an agency is doing,” Benioff said on the earnings call.
Gaudat also said in “The Diary Of A CEO” that while AI may bring uncertainty, it is not an enemy and can be used to create opportunities.
“By definition, the better you do your job with AI, the more likely you are to succeed,” Gaudat says. “Learn how to interact with AI. Welcome AI to your hybrid world of work.”