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AI Won't Steal Jobs But Augment 8 Billion Workers, Say WEF 2026 Leaders

Tech executives at the World Economic Forum 2026 assert that AI will augment human employees at a massive scale rather than replace jobs. They envision a future where billions of AI systems enable new use cases, such as providing health guidance during crises, while humans manage hundreds of tasks. Leaders emphasize that AI remains a tool lacking the ability to make value-based decisions or choose optimal outcomes. Success with AI depends on fundamentally changing organizational workflows and treating its integration as a top-tier executive priority.

Key Points: AI to Augment, Not Replace Jobs, Experts Say at WEF 2026

  • AI excels at tasks, not entire jobs
  • Future of 8 billion people and 80 billion AIs
  • AI is a tool, not a value-based decision maker
  • Success requires changing how people work, not just tools
  • AI must be treated as a "CEO problem"
2 min read

WEF 2026: AI won't replace human jobs, but augment human employees at scale, say experts

WEF 2026 experts argue AI will reshape work by automating tasks, creating a future of 8 billion people and 80 billion AIs, augmenting human roles at scale.

"Predictions that AI would wholesale replace jobs have so far been wrong. - Kian Katanforoosh"

New Delhi, Jan 22

Artificial intelligence would not replace human jobs but can only reshape work by automating tasks, said leading business executives of tech companies at the ongoing World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos.

Kian Katanforoosh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Workera, said language matters when describing AI.

"Personally, I'm not a fan of calling AI agents or co‑workers," he told a WEF session, arguing that AI excels at tasks but can't outperform humans at "entire jobs".

Humans, by contrast, perform "100s of tasks at times." "Predictions that AI would wholesale replace jobs have so far been wrong," he added.

Munjal Shah, co‑founder and CEO of Hippocratic AI, agreed that AI will augment human employees at a massive scale rather than replace them.

He forecasted a future of "8 billion people and 80 billion AIs," saying most systems will enable new use cases rather than replacing existing human roles.

He points to an AI system that called thousands of people during a heatwave, guiding them to cooler locations and offering health advice. Getting it right required rigorous testing. "We have models that check models that check models," he said.

Kate Kallot, Founder and CEO of Amini, said AI firmly remains a "tool" that cannot make value‑based decisions.

It "can't choose the best outcomes" because it doesn't yet have the right inputs, Kallot said.

Christoph Schweizer, CEO of BCG, said the experience of working with AI can feel like collaborating with a co‑worker.

"You are now in a reality where it feels like a co-worker, whether you call it that or not," he said.

Schweizer argued that success depends on how companies change their organizations, not just their tools. "They will succeed if they really change how their people work," he said.

He urged AI to be treated as "a CEO problem" that cannot be delegated.

Enrique Lores, President and Chief Executive Officer, HP, urged balance in AI usage with restraint on being more demanding with the AI coworkers than with human employees.

In HP's call centres, AI sometimes gives the wrong answer, yet overall accuracy is higher than before, and customer satisfaction has improved, he added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Sarah B
The example of AI calling people during a heatwave is fascinating. In a country like India facing extreme weather, such scalable, intelligent systems could save lives. It's about using the tool for public good, not just corporate profit. 👍
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Vikram M
I respectfully disagree with the "won't replace jobs" part. Maybe not at WEF, but in Indian IT services and BPOs, automation is already reducing entry-level hiring. The augmentation will happen, but displacement for routine tasks is inevitable. Companies need honest reskilling plans.
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Priya S
"AI as a CEO problem" – that's the key takeaway for me. Too many Indian companies think deploying a chatbot is an AI strategy. Real change needs to come from the top, reshaping workflows and investing in people. Otherwise, it's just a fancy tool collecting dust.
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Rohit P
The language debate is interesting. Calling it a "co-worker" might make adoption easier for teams. In our startup, we say "AI assistant" and it has helped reduce fear. At the end of the day, it's a tool that makes us more productive. Jai AI! 😄
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Meera T
Hope our policymakers are listening. We need a national framework for AI ethics and job transition, especially for sectors like manufacturing and retail which employ millions. Augmentation is good, but we must prepare for the reshaping it will cause.

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