The concern is not new, but it takes on an unprecedented tone coming from Geoffrey Hinton. A former Google employee and nicknamed the "Godfather of AI," this pioneer of artificial intelligence has declared that the future of the job market is under threat. Interviewed on June 16, 2025, in a Diary of a CEO podcast, Hinton delivered a direct message: human jobs could become superfluous.
His warning is not based on vague speculation or an aversion to progress. It is grounded in a long scientific trajectory. Unlike his contemporaries in the 1980s, who bet on formal logic, Hinton focused on artificial neural networks, simulated connections inspired by the human brain. These structures enabled the creation of tools capable of learning, such as ChatGPT, which millions of people use today.
But it is precisely because the technology has grown more powerful that Hinton has changed his stance. At first, he believed the risks were distant. He now thinks that some dangers are imminent. He identifies two: the misuse of AI by humans, and a more radical scenario in which artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence to the point where it no longer needs us.
On this last point, Hinton remains categorical: those who claim to have a solution to this problem, according to him, "have no idea what they're talking about." This is not science fiction, but a clear warning based on visible trends. He insists that artificial intelligence, by becoming autonomous, could become unpredictable.
At the heart of these fears, a profound social question arises. In contemporary economies, individuals earn their income in exchange for their work. It is this income that allows them to buy what they need to live, and sometimes, comfort goods. The State, for its part, takes a portion of these wages through taxes to fund public services. What happens if people no longer work, but machines produce everything?
Hinton does not offer a simple answer, but he invites us to ask the question. Fewer workers means fewer tax contributions. So, who will pay for education, roads, security? Will the few remaining workers have to be taxed even more?
The danger is twofold: a loss of jobs, and a possible rupture of the social contract. And this is not an abstract hypothesis. Hinton gives a concrete example, that of his niece who works in customer service. Previously, she wrote five responses to complaint letters per hour. Now, thanks to artificial intelligence, she can process two to three times more. AI does not replace her, but it makes her so productive that the company needs fewer staff.
This is where the real transformation lies. AI does not necessarily eliminate all jobs, but it reduces the need for labor. According to Hinton, the job market will not experience a smooth transition like that of the digital boom. He envisions a rather brutal metamorphosis, comparable to the first Industrial Revolution.
The debate is not limited to technology. It raises political, economic, and ethical questions. These upheavals could call into question the very foundations of our economies. For if working no longer guarantees an income, and if incomes are no longer sufficient to fund states, then the entire balance of modern economic systems must be reconsidered.
And even if the machine does not yet think like us, it is already transforming our relationship to work, to society, and perhaps, to ourselves.