Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s executive chairman, delivered a defiant message to a London summit on Tuesday: artificial intelligence will augment British workers, not replace them. Speaking at the Tech for Growth conference, Bezos argued that fears of mass unemployment are overblown, predicting instead a future where AI tools empower employees to focus on higher-value tasks. The remarks come amid heightened anxiety over automation, with a recent McKinsey report estimating that up to 30% of UK jobs could be disrupted by 2030.
But Bezos insisted that history shows technology creates more roles than it destroys. “Think of the introduction of the ATM,” he said. “It didn’t eliminate bank tellers; it freed them to offer personalised services.
AI will do the same across sectors like healthcare, logistics, and education.” He cited Amazon’s own warehouses, where AI-driven robotics have reduced physical strain on workers while increasing efficiency. The company is investing £12 billion in UK operations this year, partly to train staff in AI skills.
Critics, including the Trades Union Congress, remain sceptical, warning of a two-tier labour market. But Bezos urged policymakers to embrace a “human-centric” approach to AI, where reskilling is prioritised over regulation. The summit also saw the launch of a new government-backed AI ethics board, a move Bezos welcomed as “essential for trust”.
Yet he cautioned against stifling innovation: “We must not let perfect be the enemy of good. The UK has a golden opportunity to lead in ethical AI, but it requires courage to experiment.” The speech left many delegates buoyant, though some questioned whether Bezos’s rosy vision accounts for the gig economy’s precarity.
As one analyst put it: “It’s easy to be optimistic when you’re a billionaire. The real test is whether the barista replaced by a kiosk will feel the same way.
