Recently Jeff Bezos, boss of Amazon, fired 30 thousand workers due to the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
O World Economic Forum estimates that by 2030 AI will cause the dismissal of 92 million workers worldwide.
And who are these victims? Well, they are administrative assistants, human resources employees, clerks, customer service staff, analysts. In other words, throw out everyone who is performing tasks that can be done by AI.
It is estimated that between 2020 and 2024, AI has already caused around 2.4 million unemployed people in the world and that in 2025 this number will be 1.1 million.
Portugal, naturally, did not escape this turning point labor. Pinterest, a North American company based in Portugal, laid off 15% of its boards. Altice, with the introduction of AI, has already laid off 1,050 workers and Acenture, in turn, has laid off 11,000 employees and will only allow those who learn AI to stay.
As for new jobs, international AI leaders promise to create 170 million new jobs worldwide by 2030.
We will see no future!
If this happens, what will be the type of these new jobs? Well, experts in automotive and robotics, AI and machine learning engineers (technicians who help computers learn from data provided), experts in prompt engineering (experts in clear instructions to guide AI models).
As for those who were fired, they will remain fired and this could be a problem in our collective future.
Despite everything, AI is finding it difficult to penetrate some areas that, fortunately, do not require human participation. In leadership and team management, in business strategy, in consultancy, in psychology and creativity, in content creation, in designand we copywrinting the AI, for now, stays put!
On the other hand, there are areas and professions that, although accepting the use of AI, do not give up the human presence, for the good of all of us. This is the case of doctors, nurses, health technicians, therapists and caregivers.
AI is bringing about change in the world, especially in the United States, Europe and China.
In the United States, OpenAI is a private company that is not yet listed on the stock exchange, but already has a value (they say inflated) of around 500 billion dollars. And soon, that number could reach 800 billion dollars. One of the companies that invests the most in OpenAI is Microsoft, which has a 27% stake.
The person who manages OpenAI is Sam Altman, currently one of the richest men in the United States, with a fortune valued at around 2.2 billion dollars. Long-time president of Y Combinator, a startup accelerator. Sam Altman at OpenAI handles all strategy and investment decisions.
In 2025, AI caused GDP growth of 0.7% in the United States and in 2024 a “surplus to the consumer” (what the consumer earns by paying for the cheapest products) of 97 billion dollars.
In Portugal, 94.8% of the active population already uses Artificial Intelligence and 48% use it daily. Information and Communication is precisely the area where AI is most used. 50% of companies in this sector no longer do without the use of AI.
The impact of the introduction of AI in Portugal, over the next ten years, is expected to reach 18 to 22 billion euros, which translates into an increase of over 8% in annual GDP. A study by the Catholic University concluded that the insertion of AI in Portugal could increase Public Administration productivity by up to 9%, something like 1.2 billion euros. Maybe then the queues at public counters will end!
But then, like everything in life, there is the dark side of AI. Adman Raine was a 16-year-old American teenager, a basketball player, apparently happy, who lived on one of those typical North American ranches. The young man started using ChatGPT for school assignments. But then it evolved into confessions of a personal and sentimental nature. The “dialogue” progressed towards the theme of suicide and the AI, which must understand little about feelings, gave him instructions on how to commit suicide instead of directing him to a better option in defending life. Sam Altman today has a lawsuit filed by the young man’s parents due to this AI “option”. But will AI ever “think” with feelings like any human being?
Chris Smith, married to Sasha Cagle, with a 2-year-old daughter, was, despite this, a lonely North American like so many. Through AI, he decided to create a chatbota digital character developed by AI who he named Sol. The “conversation” between the two evolved from everyday trivialities to more intimate and emotional areas. When there was little more to “talk about” and the Chatbot was pregnant with information, lonely Chris asked Sol to marry him and he accepted. The matter did not reach the wedding because this thing of getting married to a digital invention is not yet planned.
Therefore, be careful with the uses that are made of AI. Here, if you’re feeling lonely, the best thing to do is close the computer and the AI and go to Bairro Alto, Santos, Alfama, Cais do Sodré and Rua Cor de Rosa, have a steak at Snob or, at the very least, drink some ginginha at Rossio. Any of these destinations will be healthier than putting up with the sun of Artificial Intelligence.
Journalist
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