In a recent podcast, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas urged people to swap endless social media scrolling for mastering artificial intelligence (AI) tools, highlighting their potential to boost employability and shape the future job market, reported Business Insider.
During a podcast with Matthew Berman released on Friday, July 18, Srinivas encouraged a shift in habits, stating, “Spend less time doom-scrolling on Instagram, spend more time using AI.”
He emphasised that this isn't just about boosting his company's AI usage, but about preparing for a changing world, adding, “Not because we want your usage, but simply because that’s your way to add value to the new society.”
AI's evolving impact
Srinivas, whose company, Perplexity, aims to rival Google with AI-driven solutions, stressed that those skilled in AI will have a significant advantage. “People who are at the frontier of using AI are going to be way more employable than people who are not,” he said. “That’s guaranteed to happen.”
However, he acknowledged the challenge, saying, “The human race has never been extremely fast at adapting. This is truly testing the limits in terms of how fast we can adapt, especially with a piece of technology that’s evolving every three months or six months.”
He warned that some may struggle to keep up, saying, “It does take a toll on people, and maybe they just give up.” For those who lose jobs due to AI,
Srinivas suggested, “Either the other people who lose jobs end up starting companies themselves and make use of AI, or they end up learning the AI and contribute to new companies.”
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang previously echoed a similar sentiment. Speaking to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, he said, “I am certain 100% of everybody’s jobs will be changed,” but added, “Some jobs will be lost. Many jobs would be created. And what I hope is that the productivity gains that we see in all the industries will lift society.”
Similarly, Google DeepMind Co-founder Demis Hassabis said in June that AI would create “very valuable jobs” and “supercharge sort of technically savvy people who are at the forefront of using these technologies.”
