Palantir CTO says 'Americans are being lied to about AI' and that it actually creates more jobs
The AI boom is drastically changing the US labor market, and it could affect millions of white-collar workers. On one hand, it creates demand for specialized jobs and increases productivity, which improves efficiency in certain areas, while on the other hand, its deeping the void of sudden mass unemployment. However, Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar believes that the masses are being misled about AI's impact on jobs. "The American people are being lied to about AI," Sankar told Fox News Digital.
Completely dismissing the doomsday scenario in which AI will take over completely, Sankar said, "Well, of course, if we look through history, every time we have a new, profound technology, there is an incredible amount of fear." He then added, "You can go back to Elizabeth I, who refused to grant a patent on a sewing machine because she thought it might lead to mass unemployment. What you really see is that we're listening to the wrong people. Every time you have one of these revolutions — whether it's the telescope, or the microscope, or the power loom — it's very tempting to listen to the inventors of the technology."
Sankar emphasized that AI has the potential to significantly change how professionals will work as technology is incorporated into the workplace, particularly in industries like healthcare. According to research, up to 60% of present employment will need to be altered significantly as a result of AI by 2050. However, he viewed these changes as beneficial, enabling workers, such as ICU nurses, to enhance productivity and spend more quality time with patients. "You spend time with these industrial companies, what you're finding is actually they're able to hire more people," Sankar noted. "They're getting more efficient at the parts that cause deadweight loss. That means that they can actually hire more workers to do productive things. So net, you have job creation," he explained.
When examining the conflicting narratives around AI, Sankar pointed out that some view AI technology as a threat to purpose and employment, while others see a bright future. He stressed that AI should be reflected upon as a useful tool for improving the work of skilled employees, especially in sectors like healthcare, where it may relieve specialists of data administration duties to enable more patient connections. "The future of AI has not been determined," he said, before concluding, "It is being decided every single day by the actions that we take. And I think it'd be fair to say humans are going to use AI to do things. Are we going to use it to build trinkets of marginal value or are we going to use it to actually re-industrialize the country, to drive American prosperity, to create jobs, to have a normative view of the productivity that we can get from this, to make our country great."
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