Google DeepMind economist sees no AI jobs bloodbath yet, but warns of a layoff cascade

• Alex Imas, a Google DeepMind economist, said there’s little evidence of broad AI-driven job cuts.
• But he warned AI panic could trigger a “cascade effect” of layoffs.
• It comes as executives face pressure to show they’re adapting to AI.

Imas said he hasn’t seen evidence of broad AI-driven job losses.

“A lot of people are looking at it,” he said, adding that “even looking at software engineering, the most exposed sectors, there’s just not really anything going on.”

Instead, he said AI could still make some jobs more productive by automating parts of a role, letting workers focus on tasks machines cannot do.

“Let’s say the AI automates nine out of ten tasks. One task is not automated,” he said. “If that person can now focus in on that task, the job will become more productive.”

For now, Imas said, the broader jobs apocalypse has not arrived.

“Right now, we don’t really have any evidence of a white-collar bloodbath,” he said.

Imas did not provide additional comment to Business Insider.