Geoffrey Hinton, the “Godfather of AI,” thinks that jobs will disappear due to the rise of artificial intelligence. The sole exception? Healthcare. But only very skilled workers will survive there as well.
During a recent interview on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Hinton was unequivocal: AI will destroy repetitive, routine work. Receptionists, customer service representatives, and most entry-level white-collar jobs might not make it through the decade.
Healthcare’s Special Resistance to AI Domination
Hinton disagrees that healthcare is no different. “There’s almost no limit to how much healthcare people can absorb,” he said. “If you could make doctors five times more efficient, we could all get more care for the same cost.”
In contrast to nearly every other industry, the demand for healthcare never recedes. People will always require more treatment, more attention, and more reassurance—particularly when it’s human.
That human touch, Hinton explains, is what will cause healthcare’s resistant to AI. You may not want a robot nurse setting your IV or soothing your pre-surgery jitters. That’s a job for a human.
Only the Skilled Will Survive
Still, Hinton warns that even healthcare won’t be a safe haven for everyone. Only the most skilled professionals will keep their jobs. AI will handle the rest. “You’d have to be very skilled to have a job that it couldn’t just do,” he stressed.
This is in line with other experts’ forecasts. Demis Hassabis of DeepMind similarly stated AI will increase healthcare productivity, but human beings will still be at the forefront. Doctors can use computers to diagnose diseases, but robots won’t replace bedside manner.
The Bigger Picture: A Shrinking Workforce
Though some technology executives believe AI will augment human work, Hinton is not among them. He thinks that this wave of automation will not be like previous revolutions that created new jobs. Rather, he envisions a world in which fewer individuals are working and more of the thinking is done by AI.
McKinsey agrees. A report released in 2024 cautioned that 30% of US jobs may vanish by 2030. Goldman Sachs estimated as much as 50% automation by 2045.
Final Word: Get Skilled or Get Replaced
Hinton’s takeaway is unequivocal: AI will not replace all jobs, but it will replace most. To ride out the storm, acquire profound expertise. And if you’re in healthcare, remain human. That may be your greatest strength.
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