Anthropic chief warns AI could wipe out entry-level office roles within a year
He highlighted “repetitive but variable tasks” such as document review - a cornerstone of first-year legal associates’ work — as areas where AI is already outperforming human employees.
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Artificial intelligence could erase vast numbers of entry-level office jobs within a year, according to Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, who has once again issued a stark warning about the pace and scale of workplace disruption.
Speaking on BBC Radical with Amol Rajan, Amodei said AI is advancing at a speed that will upend expectations, with white-collar roles in law, finance, consulting and administration particularly at risk. He highlighted “repetitive but variable tasks” such as document review — a cornerstone of first-year legal associates’ work — as areas where AI is already outperforming human employees.
Amodei warned that corporate leaders are candid in private about their plans to deploy AI not as a tool to “augment” workers but as a means to “cut costs” and reduce headcount. In an earlier interview, he suggested that as much as half of all entry-level office positions could vanish within five years, fuelling fears of mass unemployment.
“The debate is no longer about if AI will transform the workforce,” he said. “The question is how soon, and to what extent.”
The comments underline growing unease over the near-term impact of AI on professional careers, with Amodei’s accelerated timeline suggesting a reality arriving far faster than most policymakers or the public anticipate.
