LOUISVILLE, USA: Roman Yampolskiy, a professor of computer science at the University of Louisville, has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) could render up to 99 percent of the global workforce jobless by the year 2030.
According to reports, his warning comes at a time when companies around the world are increasingly relying on AI systems to cut costs and boost profits — a trend that is rapidly reshaping the global labor market.
Professor Yampolskiy, regarded as a prominent voice in the field of AI safety, cautioned that even coders and prompt engineers — currently in high demand — will not be spared from the looming wave of automation that threatens to eliminate almost all types of employment.
“We are heading towards a world where unemployment will reach levels we have never seen before,” he said in an appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast. “We’re not talking about 10 percent unemployment — which is already terrifying — we’re talking about 99 percent.”
Yampolskiy predicted that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) — AI with human-level thinking capabilities — could become mainstream by 2027. He believes that just three years after AGI emerges, the labor market will collapse entirely, as AI tools and humanoid robots will make human labor economically unviable.
“If I can get the same work done by a free or 20-dollar-per-month subscription model, what do you think will happen?” he posed. “First, everything on a computer will be automated. Then, humanoid robots — probably just five years behind — will begin taking over physical labor as well.”
He emphasized that employment is not just about income, but also provides structure, status, and a sense of community. With the disappearance of jobs, society will need to find new ways to deliver all four on a large scale.
“Most people are completely unaware that this is coming,” Yampolskiy added. “It sounds insane to them, and they simply don’t believe it.”
Echoing similar concerns, Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer at Google X, warned that the age of unemployment could begin as early as 2027, with AI rapidly eliminating white-collar jobs. “No one is safe — not software developers, not CEOs, not even podcasters,” he said.
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