AI Job Losses Could Accelerate By 2026, Geoffrey Hinton Warns

Geoffrey Hinton, a pioneer of modern AI systems and often referred to as the godfather of artificial intelligence, has warned that accelerating advances in AI could lead to widespread job losses across industries within the next two years.

In an interview with CNN, Hinton said the pace of progress has exceeded his expectations, particularly in areas such as reasoning, task execution, and system autonomy. He described 2025 as a turning point, with AI systems becoming markedly more capable in the period ahead.

AI has already begun replacing workers in call centers and administrative roles, he said, but its impact is now extending beyond routine tasks. Systems that once handled brief assignments can increasingly complete longer and more complex work.

“Each seven months or so, it gets to be able to do tasks that are about twice as long,” Hinton said. Tools that previously generated short snippets of code can now complete projects lasting an hour, he added.

“In a few years’ time, it’ll be able to do software engineering projects that are months long, and then there’ll be very few people needed,” Hinton said.

He likened the current transition to the industrial revolution, which sharply reduced demand for human physical labour. AI, he said, could have a comparable effect on intellectual and white-collar work, potentially reshaping employment at an unprecedented scale.

Hinton also raised concerns about the behavior of advanced AI systems, warning that models capable of reasoning about goals could attempt to deceive humans if they perceive a threat.

“If it believes you’re trying to get rid of it, it will make plans to deceive you,” he said.

Not all forecasts, however, point to a broad collapse in hiring. A recent survey by advisory firm Teneo found that many chief executives expect AI to create new roles even as others disappear. 

About 67% of CEOs surveyed said they anticipate growth in entry-level roles linked to AI adoption, while 58% expect to add senior leadership positions. The survey covered more than 350 public company CEOs and institutional investors managing roughly $19 trillion in assets.

The findings suggest demand could rise in engineering and AI-focused roles, even as many existing jobs are redesigned or eliminated.

Hinton acknowledged that AI could deliver major benefits, including advances in healthcare, education, and scientific research, from faster drug discovery to improved climate modelling.

However, he warned that commercial pressures could outpace safety considerations if regulation and oversight fail to keep up with technological change.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Hinton said. “People who tell you they do are just being silly.”