People are wrong: AI will not take jobs, it will create more jobs, Jeff Bezos says

Jeff Bezos has rejected predictions that artificial intelligence will lead to mass job losses, saying instead that the technology will help create more work and could even cause a labour shortage

In Short

• Jeff Bezos says concerns about AI eliminating large numbers of jobs are overblown
• He believes AI will usher in what he calls "multiple golden ages"
• Bezos launched Prometheus, a new AI company he launched in 2025 with former Google executive Vikram Bajaj

AI will take jobs and millions of people will lose their source of income. That has been one of the biggest fears since companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic and others launched powerful AI chatbots that are becoming increasingly capable of performing tasks once done by humans. However, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos believes those fears are overblown. He has pushed back against predictions of widespread job losses, arguing that AI will create more opportunities than it eliminates.

Speaking to the Financial Times about Prometheus, his new AI venture valued at around $41 billion, Bezos said fears that AI would wipe out jobs across industries were misplaced. Instead, he believes the technology will dramatically boost productivity, unlock new industries and ultimately create more work for people.

“The people who are jumping to the conclusion that the jobs are all going to go away ... I think these people are just wrong,” Bezos said.

The billionaire entrepreneur described AI as part of “multiple golden ages” that will unfold alongside advances in areas such as space exploration and biotechnology. According to him, the coming decade could bring “a whole bunch of incredible miracles” driven by technological innovation.

What is Prometheus?

Prometheus, launched in November last year by Bezos and co-chief executive Vikram Bajaj, a former Google executive, is the first company Bezos has personally led since stepping down as Amazon chief executive in 2021.

With Prometheus, the company aims to build what Bezos calls an “artificial general engineer” — an AI system trained on real-world engineering and manufacturing data that can understand physics and help design complex physical products.

Unlike many AI companies focused on chatbots and digital tasks, Prometheus is targeting manufacturing and engineering. The company hopes its technology can speed up the design and production of products ranging from jet engines and medical devices to consumer electronics by reducing the need for expensive physical prototypes.

Bezos said AI would make it easier and faster to invent new products, allowing companies to pursue projects that would previously have been too costly or time-consuming. While some existing jobs may be automated, he believes the broader impact will be positive for employment.

“At root, all civilisational wealth is driven by invention. Six thousand years ago, somebody invented the plough, and we all got wealthier,” he said, comparing AI to past technological breakthroughs that ultimately expanded economies and created new forms of work.

Bezos's comments come at a time when many business leaders and economists are debating AI's impact on employment. Some executives have already warned that advances in generative AI could eliminate large numbers of white-collar jobs.

Among them is Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, who has repeatedly cautioned that AI could replace significant portions of the workforce. In a recent essay, Amodei suggested higher capital gains taxes could help fund universal basic income if AI-driven job losses become widespread.

Bezos, however, sees a different future. He argued that AI could eventually increase productivity so much that labour shortages, rather than unemployment, become a bigger challenge. In his view, lower costs and faster innovation will generate entirely new industries and demand for workers.

Prometheus has reportedly raised $12 billion from investors including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock and Bezos himself. The company is also recruiting aggressively, hiring engineers and researchers from rivals including OpenAI, xAI and Meta.

- Ends