Jeff Bezos says AI will create labor shortages, not replace jobs

At the VivaTech technology conference in Paris, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos argued that artificial intelligence will not make humans redundant but will instead generate a shortage of labour. He said AI removes operational barriers and speeds the “dream‑building loop,” enabling more ideas to become reality and increasing demand for workers. Bezos highlighted his AI startup Prometheus, aimed at accelerating physical manufacturing, and his space venture Blue Origin, which seeks to move heavy industry off Earth to restore the planet’s environment.

Bezos noted that companies are already cutting jobs as AI drives efficiency – U.S. employers announced 97,006 layoffs in May, with AI linked to 40 % of them – while a Reuters/Ipsos poll found half of Americans fear AI could threaten their employment. The billionaire, with a net worth of about $250 billion, framed the AI surge as an opportunity for higher productivity and new job creation rather than mass unemployment.