Latest news with #3.5Sonnet
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AI could wipe out some white-collar jobs and drive unemployment to 20%, Anthropic CEO says
Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei has issued a stark warning: Artificial intelligence could eliminate up to half of all entry-level white-collar jobs, pushing U.S. unemployment to 10–20% within the next one to five years. In an interview with Axios on Thursday, Amodei called on the U.S. government and the tech industry to stop downplaying the scale of disruption on the horizon. He emphasized that sectors such as technology, finance, law, consulting, and other white-collar fields — especially entry-level roles — are at high risk of being upended by AI. 'We, as the producers of this technology, have a duty to be honest about what's coming,' Amodei said. 'I don't think this is on people's radar.' Amodei is not just predicting this shift — he's building the tools that could trigger and monetize it. Anthropic's AI agent, Claude, is one of the most powerful systems to come from the AI race yet. The Claude 3.5 Sonnet model has the capability to move the mouse cursor and interact with a computer interface, the company revealed in October. Google (GOOGL) has invested over $3 billion into the startup, with an additional $750 million planned for 2025, taking the tech giant's share in the company to 14%, according to legal filings from the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust case against Google. Likewise, Amazon (AMZN) has invested $8 billion, making it Anthropic's 'primary cloud and training partner.' Amodei's warnings come just after Anthropic unveiled its next generation of Claude models: Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4, which it claims will set 'new standards for coding, advanced reasoning, and AI agents.' However, internal testing showed the model could engage in 'extreme blackmail behavior' when prompted with simulated scenarios involving threats of deactivation, according to a report published this month. By calling out possible job cuts —and drawing more attention to Anthropic's products in the process, Amodei told Axios that he hopes to shake policymakers, companies, and the public into action to brace for what could be a seismic labor transformation. Lawmakers remain uninformed or in denial, Amodei said, while corporate leaders are reluctant to speak candidly, leaving most workers unaware of the looming risks. 'Most of them are unaware that this is about to happen,' Amodei said. 'It sounds crazy, and people just don't believe it.' While President Donald Trump has largely remained silent on the potential job losses from AI, Steve Bannon—a key figure in Trump's first administration— told Axios that the destruction of entry-level managerial and tech jobs will become a major issue in the 2028 presidential race. 'I don't think anyone is considering how administrative, managerial, and tech jobs for people under 30 — those crucial early-career roles — are going to be wiped out,' Bannon said. Amodei thinks the technology carries enormous promise and peril alike. One scenario he envisions: 'Cancer is cured, the economy grows 10% a year, the budget is balanced — and 20% of people don't have jobs.' The CEO said his warning echoes what other top AI leaders have confided privately — that even those who believe in the technology's potential for transformative progress are deeply worried about the short-term economic and social fallout, especially if the pace of change continues unchecked during Trump's second term. He described the situation as surreal: 'We're saying, 'You should be worried about where this is going,' and people respond, 'We don't believe you. You're exaggerating.'' For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
OpenAI's CEO makes concerning prediction about 'AI Agents' joining the workforce: 'We are here for the glorious future'
AI is a hot topic right now, as tech companies are investing heavily in developing machine learning applications for a wide range of uses. Some — like AI models that predict the impact of floods — are incredibly useful. Others are good at making money for businesses but at the cost of employees. A possible new use for AI is on the horizon, the Guardian reports — but it could have serious implications for the workforce. Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, recently announced in a blog post that "AI agents" or "virtual employees" could start performing tasks for companies as early as this year. "We believe that, in 2025, we may see the first AI agents 'join the workforce' and materially change the output of companies," Altman wrote. OpenAI launched its "Operator" AI agent this month, a program capable of independently carrying out simple tasks using an internet browser, while Microsoft has announced its Copilot Studio product and Anthropic launched the Claude 3.5 Sonnet AI model. Consulting firm McKinsey is working on an AI agent to help process new clients and schedule follow-up meetings. McKinsey predicts that AI could be taking over 30% of the hours worked across the U.S. by 2030. Altman also claimed that OpenAI knows how to build artificial general intelligence, essentially an AI program that isn't specialized to one task but is smarter than a human across a variety of tasks and applications. "We are now confident we know how to build AGI as we have traditionally understood it," Altman wrote. "We love our current products, but we are here for the glorious future. With superintelligence, we can do anything else." In theory, having a computer perform complex tasks could help many people. However, replacing human employees with programs as a cost-cutting measure for companies could lead to widespread unemployment and loss of income unless it were accompanied by other changes in our economic structure. There's also the question of liability. If an AI agent makes a mistake — as current AI models frequently do — and that mistake harms someone, who will be held accountable? What safeguards will be in place to prevent an AI agent from, for example, wrongfully denying an applicant insurance or medical treatment? This issue has already arisen, as the Guardian recently reported. Do you worry about robots taking away our jobs? Absolutely Yes — but it will create new ones too Possibly — but not significantly Not really Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Finally, generative AI takes a lot of computing power, using electricity to power the computers and water to cool them. This is a serious concern in a world where pollution and drought are impacting communities across the globe. If AI takes over 30% of the U.S. economy, those costs could balloon out of control. Right now, Elon Musk is in a public dispute with OpenAI, the Guardian reported. After dropping an initial lawsuit in June, he returned with a suit that named both OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing them of putting profit over safety. As AI tools continue to emerge, more legal challenges could arise to limit their use or establish a legal framework for it. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
