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As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries around the world, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes the technology could lead to smaller companies without necessarily causing an overall decline in employment.
In a 6,500-word manifesto titled "The Future is for Everyone: The Path to a Positive AI Future," published on Meta's website on Monday, Aug. 10, Zuckerberg argued that businesses may become smaller as AI takes on more tasks, but that does not mean there will be fewer jobs.
"Company sizes may shrink," Zuckerberg wrote, comparing the shift to the transition from large industrial companies to technology businesses. He argued that the result could instead be a greater number of companies employing fewer people individually.
Zuckerberg believes AI could make it possible for more businesses to operate at a much larger scale. He suggested that individuals equipped with advanced AI agents could eventually manage companies capable of having a significant economic impact.
He also predicted that small businesses will remain an important part of the global economy, but AI could allow each company to accomplish considerably more with fewer employees.
Zuckerberg's comments come amid growing concerns about the potential impact of AI on employment. While he acknowledged that the technology will require society to adapt, he maintained that AI could also create significant opportunities when developed with appropriate regulation and oversight.
He pointed to potential advances in areas including medicine, education, business and scientific discovery. Zuckerberg described the development of AI as a major historical moment that could give people access to tools capable of helping them create businesses, develop ideas, learn new skills and improve their quality of life.
He also pointed to his own family as an example of how quickly the technology is advancing. Zuckerberg said his 8-year-old daughter can already use AI to turn ideas into computer code and videos in a matter of hours, tasks that previously could have taken much longer.
Despite the concerns surrounding automation, Zuckerberg believes human capabilities could grow as quickly as, or even faster than, AI-driven automation. He suggested that this could allow people to develop new skills and take on new types of work before their existing jobs are significantly affected.
Goldman Sachs Research estimates that around 300 million jobs worldwide could be exposed to AI automation. However, researchers have also emphasized that the technology could create new employment opportunities, with the overall impact depending largely on how quickly businesses adopt AI.
Zuckerberg ultimately presented an optimistic vision, arguing that AI could give individuals greater power to create, innovate and shape their futures.
