Google DeepMind co-founder outlines 'laptop rule' to assess if AI can replace jobs

Google DeepMind co-founder Shane Legg has cautioned about the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce and outlined a simple rule of thumb to assess whether a job could be replicated by AI.

Speaking on a Google DeepMind YouTube podcast with Professor Hannah Fry, Legg laid out what he described as the laptop rule, stating that if a job can be carried out entirely using a screen, keyboard, camera, speaker, microphone and mouse, it is primarily cognitive in nature and therefore more likely to be replicated by advanced AI systems.

Legg said that roles which can be performed remotely over the internet using only a laptop largely fall into the category of cognitive work and added that advanced AI would be able to operate in this space to some extent.

He also pointed out that certain forms of cognitive work retain a human element that could make full replacement by AI more difficult. Legg cited influencers as an example, noting that while their work can be done remotely, it relies heavily on personality and human connection, which are harder for AI to replicate completely.

When prompted during the discussion that this assessment implied AI could threaten a large number of jobs across society, Legg said there was a need for researchers across disciplines to take artificial general intelligence seriously and informed that, in his view, many were not yet doing so.

Legg further stated that while AI represents an enormous opportunity, it is comparable to previous technological revolutions such as the Industrial Revolution in terms of its complexity and wide-ranging social effects. He added that maximising the benefits of AI while minimising risks and costs would require careful navigation and informed that, at present, far too few people were thinking deeply about what AGI could mean for employment and society, underscoring the need for much broader engagement with the issue.