Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer at Google X, warned that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could soon outperform humans across nearly all professions — including those once considered safe, like programmers, executives, and creatives.
“Unless you’re in the top 0.1%, you’re a peasant,” Gawdat said. “AGI will be better at everything than humans, even being a CEO.”
He described the next 15 years as a turbulent adjustment phase. “The next 15 years will be hell before we get to heaven,” he said, warning of a breakdown in the economic and social structures that support the middle class if the impact of automation goes unchecked.
Drawing from personal experience, Gawdat shared how his AI startup — focused on building emotionally intelligent systems — runs with just three people. A few years ago, he said, that same operation would have needed 300.
Gawdat’s concerns align with those voiced by other AI leaders. Geoffrey Hinton, dubbed the “Godfather of AI,” recently warned that advanced models might develop their own internal language, making them harder to control. “If they start thinking in their own language, we might not even know what they’re thinking,” Hinton noted.
Beyond job losses, Gawdat foresees a deeper societal crisis. He pointed to rising risks of loneliness, identity loss, and mental health decline as people find themselves displaced. “A lot of social unrest” could follow, he cautioned.
While AI promises gains in efficiency, Gawdat emphasized that without guardrails — such as regulation, social safety nets, or new economic frameworks — the technology could destabilize entire societies and widen income inequality.
