ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, two leaders representing the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, jointly argued that AI is the solution to the labor shortage that will arrive within the next few years. They dismissed the negative view that AI takes away jobs and causes social problems.
McDermott held a media briefing on Wednesday (local time) at ServiceNow's annual event "K26 (Knowledge 2026)" in Las Vegas, emphasizing that AI will solve the labor shortage.
"In a period when much anxiety still exists, I want to talk about how we can use AI for people," McDermott said, addressing the AI controversy. "By 2030, there will be a shortage of 50 million workers in the technology sector. That means 50 million jobs short by 2030," he said. "With declining birth rates in the global economy and corporate workforce numbers completely stagnant, how can we improve productivity?"
His remarks appear to reference an analysis by Rajiv Gupta, a technology expert at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Last year, Gupta forecast that high-income countries, centered on 20 nations including Korea, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, face an unprecedented labor shortage crisis, predicting that the labor shortage, which stood at just 5 million in 2023, will surge to 45 million to 50 million by 2030 and 200 million to 250 million by 2047. ServiceNow operates the RiseUp program through its education platform "ServiceNow University," aiming to train 3 million tech workers by 2027.
"If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll always get the same results," McDermott said. "So how will we bring about change and reinvent ourselves? AI is the answer." He added, "At a time when the workforce is stagnating and the population is declining, the emergence of agents and robots is the perfect opportunity to actually boost global gross domestic product (GDP). That's the reality." He also said, "We need to recognize that (the AI issue) is not simply about efficiency and workforce reduction. People don't fully grasp the 50 million worker shortage concern. It's something that will happen in the next few years."
Huang, who appeared as a special guest at the opening keynote speech before the briefing, also refuted AI pessimism. Asked by McDermott for advice to corporate leaders, Huang said, "It's time to use AI to do the work," referring to the controversy over AI-driven job losses. "Many people think AI will change jobs. Some worry that AI will destroy jobs," he said. "But what we all need to know first is that as long as you have greater ambition than your company can currently handle, AI is currently only playing the role of creating jobs."
Huang said jobs are surging across each of the five AI layers he regularly emphasizes. The five layers extend from energy to data centers, semiconductors, AI models, and applications. "The number of jobs in the energy sector is surging, and in the semiconductor sector, we can see jobs, factories, manufacturing facilities, and computer plants being built around the world. Infrastructure is also creating unprecedented jobs. Remarkable growth is happening at every layer," he said. "I think the story around AI needs to be retold."
Huang also challenged corporate leaders, saying AI adoption is directly tied to employee ambition. "You might think of productivity as cost reduction, but I think productivity should be thought of as raising ambition," he said. "AI will help. Realize your ambitions faster than you ever have." He continued, "Once all of you start using AI, you need to realize that employees become tremendously empowered. You need to redeploy employees and actively utilize them."
Huang said the foundation for Nvidia's industry leadership also lies in building AI systems. "At Nvidia, all employees are now using agents and engaging in their work. As employees are freed (by AI adoption), they can focus on the problems they want to solve," he said. "I will encourage all employees to participate in agent systems in various places, and if possible, use ServiceNow agents as well." He added, "You need to pursue ambitions you've never experienced before. Expectations are sky-high, but it may take longer than you think. Things I thought would take years (with AI) I now believe can be done within a month."
McDermott and Huang showed off their bromance throughout the event. When McDermott praised Huang by recounting his career from washing dishes at a Denny's restaurant to leading the world's most valuable company by market capitalization, Huang bashfully said, "Let's talk about ServiceNow now," drawing laughter from the audience. ServiceNow unveiled "Project Arc," a new concept enterprise autonomous desktop agent that applies Nvidia's security software OpenShell.
The two faces of a 4.5-day workweek: How my day off hands jobs over to AI
