White House AI Czar Dismisses Mass Unemployment Fears

Published Date : 12/06/2025 

White House AI czar David Sacks has dismissed concerns about AI leading to mass unemployment, contradicting warnings from other tech leaders who predict significant job losses in the coming years. 

White House AI czar David Sacks has dismissed concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) leading to mass unemployment. This stance comes just days after a major AI leader warned that the technology could lead to unemployment rates as high as 20% in the next few years.

“Personally, I don’t think it’s (AI) going to lead to a giant wave of unemployment,” Sacks told attendees at the Amazon Web Services summit in Washington, DC. “I think it’s actually very hard to replace a human job entirely. I think it’s easier to replace pieces of it.”

“I don’t think we’re going to have 20% unemployment,” he added.

The comments come after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei told Axios that artificial intelligence could wipe out as much as half of entry-level, white-collar jobs in the next one to five years. In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper last month, Amodei expressed concerns about the rapid pace of AI innovation and people’s ability to adapt to it.

“I really worry, particularly at the entry level, that the AI models are very much at the center of what an entry-level human worker would do,” Amodei cautioned. “I think we do need to be raising the alarm. I think we do need to be concerned about it. I think policymakers do need to worry about it.”

“AI is starting to get better than humans at almost all intellectual tasks, and we’re going to collectively, as a society, grapple with it,” Amodei continued.

Experts predict at least some economic upheaval due to the swift adoption of new technology, but opinions vary widely on how, when, or even to what extent that will happen in the world’s largest economy. Sacks singled out what he called a “doomer cult,” which supports restrictive AI regulation, underestimates the capacity for AI-driven economic growth, and overestimates potential job losses.

“I could see AI driving our growth rate to something like 4 or 5%,” he said. “I think you’re already seeing the beginning of an AI boom. I mean, I’m very optimistic that this will be a huge economic tailwind for us.”

Still, Sacks acknowledged that AI will inflict some pain for people whose opportunities may be upended by the new technology. “There will be some retraining that is required for students and workers, and I don’t want to minimize that,” Sacks continued. “So there will be challenges too, but I think it’s going to be a really bright future.”

A recent survey from the Pew Research Center found that nearly two in three US adults believe that AI will lead to fewer jobs over the next two decades. More than half of all Americans say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about job losses due to AI.

But it nevertheless remains a national security priority, Sacks said. He told attendees that he believed China is only three to six months behind the United States in AI. “China is not years behind us in AI,” he said. “It’s a very close race.”

Sacks’ comments come as President Donald Trump is trying to pass his sweeping domestic policy and tax cut bill, which includes a 10-year moratorium on enforcement of state AI regulations, including laws aimed at preventing hiring discrimination or non-consensual, explicit deepfakes. Academics, tech workers, and advocacy groups have warned the provision could shield AI companies from potential harms they inflict on society.

Anthropic’s Amodei told CNN he sees huge potential in AI, which he believes could cure cancer. But he also fretted about what that advancement could cost in jobs. “I really worry, particularly at the entry level, that the AI models are, you know, very much at the center of what an entry-level human worker would do,” he said.

But Sacks said AI is coming, and it’s best to be prepared rather than try to stop it. It will proliferate throughout the economy as chips powering AI grow more powerful and enable significantly more intelligent models. “I don’t think that the right thing to do here is to throw up a wall and just be so afraid of AI that we try to resist it,” he said. “It’s kind of like telling the tides to stop. It’s just not going to happen.” 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: What is the White House AI czar's stance on AI and unemployment?

A: White House AI czar David Sacks believes that AI will not lead to a massive wave of unemployment. He argues that it is difficult to replace entire human jobs and that AI will more likely replace pieces of jobs rather than entire positions.

Q: What did Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warn about AI?

A: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that AI could lead to significant job losses, particularly at the entry level, with potential unemployment rates as high as 20% in the next few years.

Q: What does the Pew Research Center survey say about public perception of AI?

A: According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, nearly two in three US adults believe that AI will lead to fewer jobs over the next two decades, and more than half are extremely or very concerned about job losses due to AI.

Q: What is the current state of AI development in China compared to the US?

A: David Sacks stated that China is only three to six months behind the United States in AI development, indicating a very close race in this critical technology.

Q: What is the concern about the 10-year moratorium on state AI regulations proposed by President Trump?

A: The 10-year moratorium on state AI regulations proposed by President Trump has raised concerns among academics, tech workers, and advocacy groups. They fear it could shield AI companies from potential harms and prevent necessary regulations to protect society. 

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