AI may not replace humans, but it could make the three-day workweek possible – at least, that's Bill Gates' view.
See also: Bard AI: Improves understanding of YouTube videos
The billionaire appeared on Trevor Noah's "What Now?" podcast in an episode that aired Tuesday. When Noah asked about the threat of artificial intelligence (AI) to jobs, Bill Gates said there may someday be a time when people "won't have to work so hard.".
"If you eventually get a society where you only have to work three days a week, that's probably okay," Gates said.
There could be a world where “machines can make all the food and stuff,” and people don’t have to work five days and more to earn a decent wage.
See also: Lazarus hackers breached CyberLink in supply chain attack
While AI can bring some positive changes, Gates has previously acknowledged the dangers of AI if used incorrectly. In July, he published a 3,000-word article about the potential impact of AI.
“I don’t think the impact of artificial intelligence will be as dramatic as the Industrial Revolution, but it will certainly be as big as the introduction of the computer. Word processing applications didn’t eliminate office work, but they changed it forever,” Bill Gates said at the time. “Employers and employees had to adapt, and they did.”.
Bill Gates isn't the only businessman predicting a reduction in working hours. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said that the next generation of workers will only have a 3.5-day workweek due to artificial intelligence.
“Your kids will live to be 100 and not have cancer because of technology and they will probably work three and a half days a week,” Dimon told Bloomberg in October.
Gates once considered sleep to be a waste of time and told Noah that his life was all about Microsoft from the ages of 18 to 40. Now, he feels that “the purpose of life is not just about working.”
Companies around the world are testing the effectiveness of a four-day workweek, with some reporting positive results for improved work - life balance and productivity.
Information source: businessinsider.com
