Nvidia boss Jensen Huang calls fear of mass job losses due to AI ‘absurd’
Jensen Huang, the head of Nvidia, has dismissed catastrophic predictions about AI and describes the fear of mass unemployment and the extinction of humanity as utterly absurd.
During an extensive conversation with Mike Allen of Axios, Huang stated that current data contradict these gloomy forecasts, although critics question whether his optimism is driven by his role as head of one of the world’s most valuable companies.
The CEO suggested that there was a fundamental misunderstanding between specific tasks and professions as a whole. He explained that while AI can automate individual tasks – such as a radiologist analysing medical images – the core purpose of the profession, namely patient care and alleviating pain, remained a human necessity.
Although he acknowledged that certain roles, such as those in call centres, are vulnerable to a high degree of automation, he maintained that human judgement remains indispensable.
To support his position, Huang referred to growth in various professions. He pointed to a 20% increase in the number of radiologists and a 10% rise in the number of legal assistants. According to him, this shows that AI helps employees to cope with larger volumes of work.
In addition, he stated that employment in the manufacturing sector has grown by around 50% due to increasing demand for the construction of data centres. According to Huang, AI will not necessarily replace jobs. Rather, employees who use AI tools will gain an advantage over people who choose to ignore the technology.
Criticism of science fiction stories around AI
Huang also criticised those in the sector who allow themselves to be carried away by “science fiction” scenarios. He suggested that theorists who speculate about machine consciousness or the “singularity” often do so to come across as intellectually superior.
Although he said caution is necessary, he considers inventing existential threats inappropriate- a view he shares with government officials. Huang warned policymakers against overregulation based on unproven scenarios and called on the Trump administration to take into account a broad range of scientific insights.
For the future, Huang outlined his view of a world with a trillion AI agents and predicted that highly functional robotics are only a few years away. Although he admitted that a bubble could eventually form, he does not expect it within the next five years.
While other leaders in the sector continue to predict significant job losses, Huang’s argument aligns with historical patterns of automation, in which work is transformed rather than disappearing. For him, the real threat is not a robot takeover, but the competitive advantage gained by those who embrace the technology.
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