Canadian billionaire Kevin O’Leary has argued that artificial intelligence will reshape the global job market rather than destroy it, stressing that every major technological breakthrough in history has been met with similar fears. In a post on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) O’Leary wrote, “Every major technological breakthrough has been met with fear that it would destroy jobs. AI is no different.” He also compared the trajectory of AI to the era of the internet, saying it is more likely to generate new industries than erase opportunities. “Just as the internet created entirely new industries and opportunities, I believe AI will unlock the next generation of innovation,” he said.He also pointed to the potential applications in healthcare and engineering, including faster medical diagnostics and accelerated research timelines. Delivering scan results “in minutes instead of weeks,” he noted, will require broad participation from engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs.
Read Kevin O’Leary ‘s complete post here
“Every major technological breakthrough has been met with fear that it would destroy jobs, and AI is no different. I’ve heard the concerns that it will replace workers, invade privacy, or do more harm than good. But history suggests otherwise. Just as the internet created entirely new industries and opportunities, I believe AI will unlock the next generation of innovation.Think about what’s possible, accelerating medical research, delivering scan results in minutes instead of weeks, or helping build technologies that once seemed impossible. Those advances will require engineers, scientists, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs to bring them to life. Rather than eliminating opportunity, I believe AI will create new industries and better jobs and staying competitive means investing in the compute capacity needed to make that future a reality.”
Kevin O’Leary believes investment in infrastructure is the key
Kevin O’Leary also emphasised that the economic winners will be those who invest early in computing infrastructure to support AI systems. He argued that AI will drive new industries, faster innovation, and higher-skilled employment opportunities, rather than mass unemployment.The comments made by O’Leary align with views of other tech leaders. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon has said AI could automate about 25% of work hours over the next decade but will likely transform rather than eliminate jobs. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argued workers are more likely to be displaced by people who use AI than by AI itself, while Jeff Bezos recently dismissed fears of widespread job losses, predicting AI would “elevate” workers and even contribute to future labor shortages.
Kevin O’Leary believes the disruption caused by AI is part of a larger economic cycle
Earlier this month, Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary believes the disruption caused by AI is part of a larger economic cycle and that new opportunities will emerge over time. Speaking on The Tucker Carlson Show in May, the Canadian billionaire said the US cannot afford to slow down its AI investments because it is competing with China in a major technology race. He argued that while AI may replace some jobs, it will also create entirely new industries and employment opportunities.“Everybody’s hysteria about losing jobs, making hamburgers or flipping them, being replaced by a robot, that’s probably true,” O’Leary said. “But all kinds of new technology will become available over time, including in medical science and biology and all kinds of things where the models can be used. I’m extremely optimistic.”“Just think about the new technologies we don’t even know yet that are going to be built off AI,” O’Leary said, adding “Everybody thinks when television came, everybody would lose their job in radio. That was complete BS.”
