Artificial intelligence isn’t just coming to office jobs — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says blue-collar workers should be paying attention, too.
Huang leads one of the largest chipmakers driving the AI revolution. He joined Lex Fridman’s podcast The episode, released Monday, discussed everything from AI to jobs in space.
While blue-collar jobs are considered relatively safe from AI disruption compared to technical jobs such as engineering, Huang said workers in all professions, including agriculture and electrical work, need to take advantage of artificial intelligence to future-proof their jobs.
“If I were a farmer, I would definitely use AI. If I were a pharmacist, I would definitely use AI,” Huang said. “I want to know what I can do to improve my work so that I can become an innovator who can revolutionize this industry.”
Coding, for example, is a huge opportunity for carpenters, and he said that if he were in that job, he would “completely break out” using AI.
“A carpenter with AI is also an architect,” he says. “They’ve only increased the value they can offer their customers. Their artistry has improved tremendously.”
Fan has previously said that artificial intelligence will “certainly change 100% of everyone’s jobs,” predicting that while some jobs will be lost, many will be created.
For example, many tasks will be automated and their operations will be significantly disrupted, Fridman said on his podcast.
But, he said, “If your job goals include you, it’s important to learn how to automate those tasks using AI.”
Anxiety grows with AI
As AI advances, concerns about job security are also increasing. That anxiety is not unfounded. Companies have cut thousands of jobs in the name of prioritizing new technology and automation.
Huang’s solution: Become an AI expert, regardless of your role.
It could be the difference between getting a job or being unemployed. In almost all cases, Huang said, he would rather hire a candidate who is an AI expert than one who is not.
“Every college student should graduate and become an AI expert,” Huang said.
As AI advances rapidly, it could help companies stay ahead of the curve.
The next stage of AI is already here
Artificial general intelligence is a type of AI that causes anxiety and excitement among the most advanced minds in the field. The idea is that AI will one day match or exceed human intelligence. Huang said the era of AGI has already arrived.
Fridman asked whether AI could do Huang’s job of starting, growing and successfully building a technology company worth more than $1 billion.
Huang says it’s possible.
He also said it’s “not inconceivable” that chatbots like Anthropic’s Claude could design apps used by billions of people for $0.50 each and then go out of business quickly, much like the websites that failed in the dot-com era.
Even his job running one of today’s most successful technology companies is not immune to AI, he said, and encouraged everyone to jump on the technology before they are left behind.
“Change your current job and see what you can do to improve yourself,” Huang said.