<p>Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas has issued a direct message to the next generation: spend less time scrolling and more time learning artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Speaking in an interview with tech YouTuber Matthew Berman, Srinivas said that those who ignore the rise of AI could soon find themselves unemployable.</p>
<p>His comments come amid growing conversations about how AI may soon replace many white-collar roles, unless people adapt quickly.</p>
<h3 data-start=”832″ data-end=”906″><strong><span style=”color: #ba372a;”>’Spend Less Time Doomscrolling’: Srinivas Urges Youth To Focus On AI</span></strong></h3>
<p>“Spend less time doomscrolling on Instagram; spend more time using the AIs,” Srinivas said in a conversation with Matthew Berman.</p>
<p><iframe title=”YouTube video player” src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/DJahmKqFSIM?si=x_8XYrIfVcB_TSNc” width=”560″ height=”315″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=”allowfullscreen”></iframe></p>
<p>He pointed out that proficiency in artificial intelligence systems is increasingly becoming a major advantage when it comes to employment.</p>
<p>“People who really are at the frontier of using AIs [systems] are going to be way more employable than people who are not. That’s guaranteed to happen,” he added.</p>
<h3><span style=”color: #ba372a;”><strong>Rapid AI Evolution Leaves Workers Racing To Keep Up</strong></span></h3>
<p>Srinivas acknowledged that the pace of change is intense, with new tools emerging every three to six months. He said this is putting pressure on workers to constantly update their skill sets.</p>
<p>“Human race has never been extremely fast at adapting,” he said, describing how current developments are “testing the limits in terms of how fast we can adapt.”</p>
<p>While he admitted that job losses due to automation are likely, he also stressed the importance of adapting to the new landscape.</p>
<p>“Either the other people who lose jobs end up starting companies themselves and make use of AIs, or they end up learning the AIs and contribute to new companies,” he explained.</p>
<h3><span style=”color: #ba372a;”><strong>Recruiters Could Be Replaced, Too</strong></span></h3>
<p>Srinivas also spoke earlier on The Verge’s “Decoder” podcast, where he explained how Perplexity’s own AI tool, Comet, might take over traditional recruiter tasks.</p>
<p>“A recruiter’s work worth one week is just one prompt: sourcing and reach-outs. And then you’ve got to do state tracking,” he said.</p>
<p>Other tech leaders have made similar predictions. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently said that 50 per cent of entry-level white-collar jobs could be eliminated within five years. Geoffrey Hinton, one of the pioneers of AI, warned that the technology could soon replace humans in “mundane intellectual labour.” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, on the other hand, believes AI will transform and not eliminate jobs.</p>
About The Author
