Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian has sought to allay concerns that artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to widespread job losses in the technology sector, arguing that the technology is designed to improve human productivity rather than replace workers.
AI expands the capabilities of employees, not the workforce
In an interview with tech newsletter Big technology, Published by Alex Kantrowitz on October 9, Kurian emphasized that the role of AI is to expand what employees can achieve, rather than reduce the workforce. He cited the example of Google's Customer Engagement Suite, an AI-powered set of customer service tools launched last year. Despite customers' initial fears that AI would replace human agents, Kurian revealed that “almost none of our customers have let anyone go.”
The technology, he explained, has mainly taken on tasks that were previously neglected, such as handling minor customer queries that did not require contact with a service agent. “I think there is definitely a middle ground,” Kurian said, dismissing predictions of mass automation of jobs.
Google measures productivity gains
Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressed a similar view during a June appearance on Google's website Lex Fridman podcast, which notes that AI tools have helped increase engineer productivity by about 10%. The company measures this gain by calculating the additional hours of technical capacity made possible by AI-powered assistance.
Rather than downsizing its workforce, Pichai says Google plans to hire more engineers in the coming year. “The possibilities of what we can do are expanding,” he explained, highlighting that AI allows repetitive tasks to be handled automatically, freeing employees to focus on more creative and complex work.
The impact of AI on development is already measurable. According to Pichai, more than 30% of Google's new code is now generated by AI, up from 25% in October 2024. Reporting similar trends, Microsoft UK CEO Darren Hardman revealed that GitHub Copilot now produces 40% of the code at Microsoft, allowing the company to launch more products in one year than in the previous three years combined.
Kurian's message offers reassurance to technology professionals: AI is an enhancer of human capabilities, not a threat to jobs.
