There was a big ruckus recently about Marc Benoiff’s comment about using Agentforce to reduce headcount.
He’s quoted as saying, “I’ve reduced it [company headcount] from 9,000 heads to about 5,000, because I need less heads”.
Some are interpreting this as he fired 4000 people. Others are saying he simply cut these positions but didn’t lay anyone off. Various news organizations have conflicting stories.
Either way, the underlying message is the same. AI is now doing their job. And soon it’ll do yours too.
Based on everything I’ve read, here’s my prediction:
- What we have now is Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI). This means one system is able to perform a single task as good as, and in some cases, better than any human
- For the next 2-3 years, companies will replace junior level positions with AI
- In about 2-3 years, we’ll reach Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). This means one system will be able to perform any task as good as, and in some cases, better than any human
- This moment is called the singularity. Just like the event horizon of a black hole, we cannot know what’s past this point
- However it’s expected that companies will start choosing between using an AI or hiring a human. This will be like buying furniture. We will choose to have it made by machine or made by hand
- It’s expected to reach Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) shortly thereafter. This means humans will no longer be the smartest species on the planet
The takeaway
It’s not like the moment we reach AGI, all jobs are gone. But that result might not be as far off as you think.
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Salesforce