AI Likely to Enhance Human Work Rather Than Replace It, MIT Expert Says

During an MIT AI 2025 special address David Autor predicted that artificial intelligence will upgrade human skills instead of making people jobless. Society imagines AI in either of two distinct ways. Under this view, AI transformation now belongs to another world while people’s role becomes unneeded. These machines will help us serve as better assets in our work. During his keynote recently, Autor believed this concept should become reality.

According to Autor, automation has not decreased the value of labor jobs since its introduction two centuries ago in agriculture and manufacturing. Over the years salaries increased but the combined economic value of labor has stayed constant at 60% of total output. People show deep worries about the situation but Author presents positive expectations. The PYMNTS Intelligence survey in January 2025 shows that 54% of US citizens worry robots will replace their jobs and technology workers express most worry at 58%.

According to Autor, AI systems have taken over the capabilities that only humans could perform before. He used CheXpert as an example which demonstrates better outcome ratings compared to many practicing radiologists.

Multiple indicators show that AI technology will support instead of replace human employees:

• Aging workforce problems hurt Japan and Poland because these countries may lose more than 40% of their working residents during the next 35 years.
• Human workers remain cheaper to use compared to other parts of the world.
• Throughout history, humans have used tools to build their knowledge base more than to replace it entirely.