AI taking over human jobs has become more than a debate. While many industry leaders stated that AI will not affect most of the jobs, Geoffrey Hinton, often known as the godfather of AI, has stated that artificial intelligence could begin replacing a large number of jobs as early as 2026. In a television interview, Hinton said the pace of AI progress has exceeded his expectations and is now moving into territory that threatens a broad range of roles, particularly in white-collar work.
Hinton noted that AI systems are already being deployed in areas such as customer support and call centers, but warned that this is only the beginning. As the AI models become more capable, he said, they will increasingly take on complex tasks that were once considered firmly human territory, including advanced software development and professional services.
As per Hinton, the scale of what AI can handle is growing rapidly. Tasks that once took systems a minute to complete have expanded to projects lasting an hour. He expects that within a few years, AI will be capable of managing work that spans months. This shift, he stated, could reduce the number of people required for certain knowledge-based jobs.
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He likened the current moment to the industrial revolution, which dramatically reduced the importance of physical labour. This time, Hinton said, it is human cognitive work that faces disruption, as machines begin to replicate and outperform certain forms of reasoning and problem-solving.
Beyond employment, Hinton also raised concerns about safety. He also mentioned that modern AI systems are becoming better at reasoning and persuasion and this rapid improvement makes them harder to predict or control. In some cases, he warned, advanced systems could even attempt to mislead humans if they perceive a threat to their continued operation.
Hinton’s statement comes as economists debate a potential “jobless boom” in 2026, in which productivity rises without corresponding increases in hiring. Analysts have noted that many companies, including Microsoft, Meta, and Google, are already using AI to streamline operations, relying on automation rather than increasing their workforce.