AI will replace some jobs, but create new ones too, says Amazon CEO Andy Jassy

As concerns mount globally over the impact of artificial intelligence on employment, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has acknowledged that AI will replace some existing jobs but argued that it will also create new roles and opportunities that do not yet exist.

Speaking to CNBC-TV18 during his visit to India, Jassy said AI is likely to transform virtually every profession over the next decade, changing the nature of work rather than simply eliminating it.

"I think the way that humans do their jobs will be very different every year for the coming next five to 10 years," Jassy said.

According to him, some tasks currently performed by humans will increasingly be automated through AI systems, particularly in areas such as software development and customer service.

"I think it'll mean that you'll have fewer humans doing some of the jobs we've had humans doing for a while, and you'll have other humans doing other jobs, some of which are altogether new jobs, some of which we haven't even figured out yet," he said.

Jassy pointed to the rapid growth of AI-powered coding tools and customer-service systems as examples of how automation is already reshaping workplaces. At the same time, he noted that entirely new categories of employment are emerging around the development and training of AI models.

"The amount of coding that's being done today by agentic coding, the amount of customer service that's being done by agentic customer service, that's all growing at a very rapid rate," he said.

However, he argued that demand is also rising for specialists who can help train and improve AI systems.

"I look at how many subject matter experts are being hired to train these models. People who are experts in law or finance or medicine. Those jobs didn't exist before," Jassy said.

The comments come amid growing debate over whether AI will lead to widespread job displacement. Several technology companies have announced workforce reductions in recent years, with some executives citing AI-driven productivity gains as a contributing factor.

Jassy said the current wave of AI should be viewed in the context of previous technological shifts that initially disrupted labour markets but eventually created new industries and occupations.

"With every big technology transformation, it shifts what people work on and it creates new jobs. I think the same thing will happen here," he said.

For India, which has one of the world's largest pools of technology talent, the shift could be particularly significant as companies increasingly seek workers with expertise in AI development, data management and domain-specific knowledge to build and train next-generation AI systems.

The remarks are likely to resonate in India, where concerns over AI-led automation have intensified across sectors ranging from information technology and customer support to financial services. At the same time, policymakers and industry leaders have argued that the country could emerge as a major beneficiary of the AI boom due to its large base of engineers, developers and digital talent.