CEOs say labour segment to benefit most as AI replaces white-collar jobs

While earlier technological revolutions primarily impacted less-educated workers, the current wave driven by artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly threatening the roles of highly educated office employees. High-ranking corporate executives are now sounding the alarm about the scale and speed of this transformation.

"Artificial Intelligence will literally replace half of all white-collar workers in the US," warned Ford CEO Jim Farley during a recent appearance at the Aspen Ideas Festival in the US state of Colorado. In a conversation with author and biographer Walter Isaacson that has been reported on by the Wall Street Journal, Farley added, “AI will leave many employees behind.”

The automotive giant’s executive emphasized that the impact of emerging technologies on the economy is double-edged. “Many things will be very helpful, but many things will also hurt,” he said. The societal challenge, he noted, is to develop meaningful support for those displaced by AI—a plan that, in his view, does not yet exist. Still, at the corporate level, he remains optimistic about the power of retraining, observing that while upskilling employees can be costly, it often pays off.

At the same time, Farley stressed the limitations of AI and robotics. As an example, he pointed to a Ford employee in Germany who creatively repurposed a bicycle tire to improve the factory’s tailgate mechanism. “Sure, a robot could implement it,” he said, “but the creativity—I’m not so sure.”

Productivity challenges also weigh on Farley’s mind. He noted that productivity gains in many companies, including those in Germany, have stalled or even declined. Many industries are no longer experiencing the dynamic growth seen in the decades following World War II. Experts believe that AI could help reverse this trend, potentially playing a crucial role in business survival.

AI wave to hit beyond automotive industry

Yet Farley is not alone in warning of massive disruption. The World Economic Forum, in its Future of Jobs Report 2025, predicted that around 40% of current worker skills could be obsolete within five years. Office administrators, bookkeepers, cashiers, and postal workers are particularly vulnerable. At the same time, business leaders hope AI will enable leaner, more efficient operations.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy echoed these concerns, acknowledging that AI could take over tasks previously performed by people. He announced plans to reduce headcount and wrote in a letter to employees that the exact consequences of AI are still uncertain—but further job cuts are likely. Amazon has already eliminated thousands of positions in recent years. In a later interview, Jassy tried to soften his message, emphasizing, “There will be other jobs.”

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff was even more blunt: in a Bloomberg interview, he claimed AI is already handling 30% to 50% of the work at his company.

New respect for blue-collar jobs

Interestingly, while AI threatens white-collar roles, it may also revive interest in blue-collar trades. In a speech preceding his discussion with Isaacson—and in a LinkedIn essay posted on June 27—Farley highlighted a growing crisis in America’s labour force: a shortage of people who “build, move, and fix” things.

"Our whole education system is focused on four-year education,” he said. “But hiring an entry worker at a tech company has fallen 50% since 2019. … Is that really where we want all of our kids to go?”

Farley argued that society must incentivize and destigmatize industrial labour, whether it's installing bumpers on a Ford assembly line or fixing a clogged toilet. While white-collar workers may be increasingly vulnerable to automation, trades such as electricians, factory builders, and plumbers remain relatively safe. “You know what job is [safe]? Putting up that power line, building that factory, laying a new water system,” Farley said.

Backing up his call for a renewed focus on trade jobs, Farley cited troubling data in his essay: the US currently lacks 600,000 factory workers, 500,000 construction workers, and needs 400,000 auto technicians in the next three years.

As AI accelerates its integration into corporate workflows, it’s becoming clear that some of the safest—and most essential—roles in the coming decades may not be in front of a screen, but on the shop floor.

By Nazrin Sadigova