Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has expressed his confidence that AI systems will not be able to replace him, amid continued discussions over which jobs will be threatened by AI in the near future.
Speaking at Nvidia’s AI Summit in Mumbai in October, Huang said AI has the potential to take over 20% to 50% of a given job, depending on the specific role, according to reporting from the event.
But AI agents will be able to do these aspects of the job 1,000 times better, Huang predicted, arguing that instead it would be the “person who uses AI to automate that 20% [who] is going to take your job.”
Huang dismissed growing fears entire jobs could be lost to AI agents, arguing that “in no job can [AI] do all of it”, stating that the scenario he sees playing out is one where workers implement AI tools as assistants to automate their workflow.
When asked if he harbored any latent fears that he would be replaced by AI, Huang said “absolutely not”, emphasizing he saw no possibility of AI CEOs replacing him or fellow chief executives.
This stands against the results of an edX survey conducted last year, which spoke to 500 CEOs from across the US to gauge their thoughts on how AI would impact the business landscape.
EdX found that just under half (49%) of the CEOs surveyed said they believe most or all of their jobs could be completely automated or replaced by AI, compared to just 20% of IT workers.
AI CEOs already in position, despite Huang’s prediction
Despite Huang’s confidence, AI CEOs have already emerged with a number of organizations announcing they will be using an AI-powered chief executive.
NetDragon Websoft, a Chinese video game developer, appointed an AI-powered virtual humanoid robot as its CEO in August 2022, months before OpenAI debuted its ground-shifting ChatGPT product.
“The appointment is a move to pioneer the use of AI to transform corporate management and leapfrog operational efficiency to a new level,” NetDragon said in a statement released after announcing the appointment.
The move was met with a sizable jump in the company’s share price, with its stock rising by 10% in the six months following the announcement.
NetDragon Websoft has not been the only firm to foray into the world of automated chief executives. Polish drinks company Dictador Holdings appointed Mika, touted as the world’s first AI robot CEO, in November 2023.
Unveiled in June 2022, Mika was created by Anthropic in partnership with Hanson Robotics, with her role described as identifying opportunities for the business, and overseeing day to day operations for the rum and gin brand.
“Dictador's board decision is revolutionary and bold at the same time. This first human-like robot, with AI, in a company structure, will change the world as we know it, forever,” Marek Szoldrowski, president at Dictador Europe said at the time.
In an ‘interview’ with Reuters, Mika explained that its “decision-making process relies on extensive data analysis, and aligning with the company’s strategic objectives.
Szoldrowski told Reuters the appointment was far from a PR stunt, and Mika was “definitely in fact CEO”, but cautioned human chief executives should not need to worry about being edged out by AI replacements, stating human leaders will still be required for major decisions.
"There is no concern [that] artificial intelligence could hire or fire somebody. It's still the major decisions, significant decisions are still in (the) human executive team's hands.”
