Currently, nobody has a definitive answer regarding how the implementation of AI in companies will affect the labor market. Data and studies on this impact are quickly becoming outdated as AI continues to acquire new skills.
However, prominent figures like Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates suggest that a likely implementation model involves “AI agents.” In a recent episode of the podcast No Priors, Huang said we’ll all be working alongside AI agents, “There’s no question we’re going to have AI employees of all kinds. Our outlook will be some biologics and some artificial intelligence and we all prompt them in the same way.”
Hyperspecialized agents. Huang’s vision for AI in the workplace focuses on hyperspecialized agents rather than artificial general intelligence with broad knowledge. These agents are designed to operate in very specific areas and essentially serve as digital counterparts to skilled workers today. In other words, they’re AI models with highly specialized knowledge in narrowly defined fields.
In fact, Huang has frequently referred to these specially trained AI agents as “AI employees,” emphasizing their targeted capabilities in performing specific tasks.
Collaborative AI. The Nvidia CEO envisions a future where AI employees are managed similarly to how teams of people are currently managed. Companies will define projects and select different “digital employees” to collaborate who will interact seamlessly with other AI agents and human employees, just like traditional teams do today.
During the interview, Huang also shared his vision of AI agents collaborating with other specialized agents as projects evolve. He said, “How’s [teamwork] going to be any different with digital and AI employees of all kinds? We’re going to have AI marketing people, AI chip designers, AI supply chain people… I’m hoping that Nvidia is someday biologically bigger but also, from an artificial intelligence perspective, much, much bigger. That’s our future company.”
Gates also sees AI as the future of the workforce. Similarly, the Microsoft co-founder recently proposed a model where AI is integrated not just as generic co-pilots to assist in tasks but as specialized agents focused on specific areas of expertise.
Huang and Gates agree that these digital employees can operate in various fields, which opens up new business opportunities for specialized companies to offer these digital employees as SaaS. “I might rent a million Synopsys engineers to come and help me out and then go rent a million Cadence engineers to help me out. What an exciting future for them,” Huang said in the No Priors podcast.
Developers are already working with AI agents. The approach proposed by Huang and Gates, where hyperspecialized AI models function as “modules” integrated into enterprise teams, aligns with the strategies of several technology companies.
For instance, Microsoft has started creating autonomous AI agents designed for specific tasks and integrated them into its Dynamics 365 platform. Similarly, Salesforce already uses AI with its sales assistant and CRM Lightning.
Not meant to replace human workers. According to Huang, AI agents should be viewed as new tools that increase employee efficiency rather than substitutes for human roles. However, he acknowledges that these advancements will alter how jobs are performed.
“[AI] tools help us be more productive and do things that we otherwise can’t do. For all of the artists in the world, what I would say is, jump on this tool, give it a try… With respect to jobs, I would say that it is very likely all of our jobs are going to be changed. My job is going to change in the future. I’m going to be prompting a whole bung of AIs,” Huang said in an interview back in July.
Image | Maurizio Pesce
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