At Davos, AI Optimism Centers on Job Creation as Fears Recede

Business leaders at the World Economic Forum leaned into a bullish narrative on artificial intelligence, arguing that while some roles will vanish, AI will ultimately expand employment and lift pay—particularly in skilled trades tied to energy, chips and infrastructure. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang led the charge with a “jobs, jobs, jobs” refrain, even as labor leaders warned that productivity gains too often mean fewer workers and delegates aired concerns about chatbot harms. Cloudflare’s Matthew Prince cautioned that AI could one day squeeze small businesses as autonomous agents reshape commerce, while IBM’s Rob Thomas said the technology has finally reached a point where it can automate tasks with measurable returns. A PwC survey underscored lingering doubts, finding only a small share of CEOs see AI lowering costs or boosting revenue, and a temporary U.S.-Europe tariff truce kept geopolitical tensions from overshadowing the optimism.

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