Jeff Bezos said at the VivaTech tech conference in Paris that he disagrees with the assessment that “AI will cause massive job losses.” According to him, AI has lowered the barriers to many jobs, thereby unlocking greater demand and ultimately leading to a “labor shortage” rather than job elimination.
This is not the first time he has publicly expressed a similar view. In previous interviews, Bezos compared AI to an upgrade from a shovel to a bulldozer, arguing that technology enhances human efficiency rather than simply replacing people. He reiterated this assessment in this statement, saying that human aspirations have almost no limits—the real constraints on output are tools and costs.
In contrast to industry concerns
Bezos’s statement contradicts the widespread concerns currently prevalent in American society and the tech industry. A survey conducted by Reuters and Ipsos this month found that about half of American respondents are worried that AI could cause them or their family members to lose their jobs. Federal Reserve officials also warned earlier this year that AI could lead to “jobless growth.”
Some tech executives have adopted a more cautious stance toward the impact. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, previously noted that white-collar jobs may face “unusually painful” adjustments. Meanwhile, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic are refining their public messaging as they pursue fundraising and IPOs in the capital markets.
A more realistic backdrop is that tech industry layoffs continue. Reports indicate that, as of May 2026, over 115,000 tech jobs have been cut, nearing the total for all of 2025. Meta, Amazon, and Snap have all cited AI as one of the reasons for their layoffs. Goldman Sachs estimates that AI is affecting U.S. employment at a rate of approximately 16,000 jobs per month, with entry-level positions and Gen Z workers being hit hardest.
Prometheus focuses on engineering and manufacturing
Bezos’s recent public appearance also provided a platform to showcase his AI startup, Prometheus. The company, co-founded by Bezos and former Google X scientist Vik Bajaj in November 2025, focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence and the “real economy,” with an emphasis on engineering design and manufacturing.
Prometheus is currently targeting industries including aerospace, automotive, and pharmaceutical research. Bezos previously described the company as building a "general engineer"-style tool capable of modeling, predicting, and optimizing the design process for physical products, covering everything from jet engines to drug development. He referred to it as a "very modern version of CAD."
According to reports, Prometheus has raised $12 billion, with a valuation of approximately $41 billion, making it one of the largest funding rounds among early-stage AI companies. Bezos specifically clarified that Prometheus is unrelated to robotics, and the common perception of it as an "AI robotics company" is inaccurate.
Also discussed were space and resource issues.
In the same conversation, Bezos also discussed space exploration and resource supply, stating that if launch costs continue to decline and raw materials can be obtained in the future from asteroids, the Moon, and near-Earth objects, some highly polluting industries on Earth could potentially be moved offplanet.
He noted that this concept is related to the global shortage of critical resources such as rare earth elements. The report cited a McKinsey forecast predicting a 30% supply gap for magnetic rare earth materials by 2035. Bezos believes that reducing the cost of space transportation is not only a business opportunity but also crucial for long-term industrial planning.
Blue Origin CEO David Limp also provided an update on the company’s progress on-site. He said that reconstruction of the New Glenn launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, following the May explosion, has begun, but no new launch schedule has been provided.