Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has dismissed growing concerns that artificial intelligence will eliminate millions of jobs, arguing instead that the technology will create new opportunities and ultimately increase demand for human workers.
Speaking Wednesday at the VivaTech technology conference in Paris, Bezos said fears that AI would make people economically obsolete were misplaced and underestimated the technology’s ability to unlock new industries and remove long-standing barriers to growth.
“I know there are a lot of concerns from many people, including very smart people, that AI will make humans unnecessary,” Bezos said during the conference. “I completely disagree with that view. I actually think AI is going to create a labor shortage.”
The billionaire entrepreneur said humanity’s greatest limitation is not a lack of ambition but the obstacles that prevent people from pursuing new ideas, many of which artificial intelligence could help eliminate.
Bezos’ optimistic assessment contrasts sharply with warnings from several political and technology leaders who have expressed concern about AI’s impact on employment.
Among them is former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, now an adviser to Microsoft and Anthropic, who has argued that artificial intelligence could significantly damage employment prospects for younger generations entering the workforce.
Bezos acknowledged the debate but maintained that history shows technological innovation tends to expand economic activity rather than permanently eliminate jobs.
During his appearance, Bezos also discussed Prometheus, his latest artificial intelligence venture, which focuses on accelerating physical manufacturing through advanced AI systems.
The project targets industrial production, a sector already undergoing rapid automation as manufacturers increasingly adopt intelligent machines to improve efficiency and productivity.
Labor organizations, however, continue to urge caution.
Britain’s Trades Union Congress has warned that artificial intelligence could repeat some of the social consequences of past deindustrialization, allowing shareholders to accumulate greater wealth while workers face displacement or declining job security.
At the same time, the union has acknowledged that properly implemented AI could become a transformative technology, enabling employees to benefit from higher productivity and improved working conditions.
Beyond artificial intelligence, Bezos used the conference to outline his long-term vision for humanity’s future beyond Earth.
He described space as an industry constrained primarily by limited access rather than insufficient demand, arguing that reducing transportation costs remains the biggest obstacle to large-scale development.
According to Bezos, the moon represents the most logical starting point for permanent human expansion because of its relative proximity to Earth and its abundant natural resources.
“We’re going to the moon to stay, not just to visit,” Bezos told the audience.
He said future technologies, including electrolysis, could eventually enable lunar resources to be converted into rocket fuel, allowing spacecraft to refuel in space and making sustained human activity beyond Earth economically viable.
Away from the main conference stage, visitors at VivaTech were drawn to another attraction highlighting how artificial intelligence is rapidly moving beyond software applications into the physical world.
Chinese robotics company Unitree showcased its latest humanoid robot in collaboration with French neuro-AI startup HABS, drawing long lines of attendees eager to experience the technology firsthand.
The demonstration featured a system that allows humans to interact with robots using cognitive signals rather than spoken commands.
Users wear an electroencephalogram, or EEG, headset equipped with electrodes that detect brain activity, enabling the robot to respond to commands generated directly from neural signals.
The technology offers a glimpse of how humans and intelligent machines could collaborate more naturally in the future, reducing reliance on traditional interfaces such as keyboards, touchscreens or voice recognition.
The demonstration also reflected one of the dominant themes of this year’s VivaTech exhibition, where artificial intelligence is increasingly extending beyond chatbots and digital assistants into robotics, manufacturing and other real-world applications.
As governments, technology companies and researchers continue to debate AI’s long-term economic impact, Bezos argued that the technology should be viewed primarily as a tool for expanding human capability rather than replacing it.
His message stood in contrast to many of the warnings surrounding artificial intelligence, emphasizing a future in which technological progress drives new industries, creates additional demand for workers and opens opportunities that are difficult to imagine today.
