Demis Hassabis Thinks AI Job Cuts Are Dumb

Gemini 3.5 Flash is trained to handle complex agentic coding work, including translating large code bases between languages, locating and fixing deep bugs, and writing operating systems from scratch. Demis Hassabis argues that these capabilities do not imply software developers will be eliminated. He questions confident claims about job doom and suggests that productivity gains could lead to producing more software rather than replacing engineers. He also criticizes companies that aim to replace developers with AI as lacking imagination and understanding of likely outcomes. Hassabis frames Alphabet as positioned to benefit from higher software productivity and to apply engineers to other ambitious projects beyond coding tasks.

"“I have no idea why people are going around talking with certainty about that,” Hassabis tells WIRED ahead of the new model reveal at today's Google's I/O event. “Perhaps there is an ulterior motive for putting those messages out; raising money or whatever,” Hassabis says. “From my point of view, from DeepMind and Google's point of view, if engineers are becoming three or four times more productive, then we just [want to] do three or four times more stuff.”"

"The striking coding abilities of the latest models has led to widespread fear that AI may be on the brink of eliminating programming roles and other white-collar jobs. Executives at some AI companies have predicted widespread job displacement, while some prominent tech companies, including Amazon, Salesforce, and Block, have blamed recent layoffs on the use of AI. Hassabis thinks that Alphabet, which oversees several companies besides Google, may be well positioned to take advantage of a revolution in software productivity."

"Hassabis says that companies looking to replace developers with AI may be making a big mistake. “I think it's a lack of imagination-and a lack of understanding of what's really going to happen,” he says. “I have a million ideas, from lab drug discovery to game design,” he says. “I'd love to have some free engineers to go and do those kinds of things.”"

Read at WIRED