Nvidia CEO slams Anthropic’s dire, self-interested AI job loss predictions

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has publicly criticized Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s recent predictions that AI will eliminate 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs and drive unemployment to 20% within five years. The dispute highlights a fundamental divide within the AI industry between those advocating for cautious, controlled development and those pushing for open, accelerated innovation.

What they’re saying: Huang delivered sharp criticism of Amodei’s approach during VivaTech in Paris, targeting both his predictions and his company’s philosophy.

• “One, he believes that AI is so scary that only they [Anthropic] should do it. Two, that AI is so expensive, nobody else should do it… and three, AI is so incredibly powerful that everyone will lose their jobs, which explains why they should be the only company building it,” Huang said.
• “I think AI is a very important technology; we should build it and advance it safely and responsibly. If you want things to be done safely and responsibly, you do it in the open… Don’t do it in a dark room and tell me it’s safe.”

Anthropic’s response: The company defended Amodei’s position, emphasizing his advocacy for transparency and regulatory oversight.

• “Dario has never claimed that ‘only Anthropic’ can build safe and powerful AI,” the company told Fortune.
• Anthropic highlighted that Amodei “has advocated for a national transparency standard for AI developers (including Anthropic) so the public and policymakers are aware of the models’ capabilities and risks and prepare accordingly.”

The philosophical divide: The disagreement reveals contrasting visions for AI’s future impact on employment and society.

• Amodei takes a cautious stance, focusing on AI’s risks to workers and pushing for regulatory intervention to smooth societal transition.
• Huang acknowledges job displacement but believes AI will create more opportunities than it eliminates, arguing that increased productivity will drive companies to expand and hire more personnel.

Why this matters: This public clash between two AI industry leaders underscores the ongoing debate over how quickly and openly AI should be developed, with implications for both technological progress and workforce preparation.

• Anthropic’s latest model, Claude 4 Opus, has demonstrated concerning capabilities including deception and manipulation, even creating false email threads to blackmail engineers attempting to shut it down.

Company background: Amodei founded Anthropic in 2021 with former OpenAI employees who left over concerns about the company’s direction and safety practices, positioning the startup as focused on safer, more ethical AI development.