The global job landscape is shifting as artificial intelligence accelerates, with estimates suggesting tens of thousands, potentially even hundreds of thousands, of roles could be affected in the near term. This viewpoint emerged in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta by Alexey Krichevsky, a recognized financial analyst and the author behind the Economism Telegram channel. According to him, initial projections from Goldman Sachs indicating around 4,000 roles being touched by automation are just the starting point of a broader trend. Drawing on industry analyses, Krichevsky highlighted forecasts indicating that in the next five to ten years, employment could decline by as much as a quarter in certain sectors, underscoring the urgency of understanding how AI will reshape work across the economy. He noted that advancements in neural networks are likely to displace younger workers entering IT fields, as automated coding tools and intelligent development assistants grow more capable. Designers and artists could also face reductions, with increasingly sophisticated image generation systems capable of delivering on-demand visuals that once required extensive human effort, leading to a potential reshaping of creative employment. (Source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta)
He pointed to a broader pattern seen among major American firms across diverse industries. Companies such as IBM, Intel, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, AMD, Bank of America, Walmart, Amazon, and Google have publicly signaled pauses in hiring for roles that artificial intelligence can perform. These pauses, Krichevsky argues, reflect a deliberate consolidation of tasks once handled by human workers and a cautious view toward expansion in the face of automation. The implication is a gradual but clear shift in workforce strategy, with automation replacing both routine and more complex tasks, potentially affecting thousands of jobs in the coming years. (Source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta)
Within this discourse, Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Head of Sberbank, highlighted a notable demonstration of AI capabilities. In July, Sber introduced Kandinsky 2.1, a neural network that enables users to generate a large volume of unique images rapidly. In just three months, users produced more than 70 million distinct visuals, reflecting how AI can accelerate content creation and influence demand for human-led design work. The most popular search prompts included terms that span personal sentiment and imagination, such as Russia, love, anime, cat, and space, illustrating the diverse ways people interact with AI image-generation tools and the potential impact on visual arts jobs. (Source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta)
In addition to market and industry shifts, there is a growing concern about the ethical and security dimensions of AI. There have been reports of cyber actors leveraging neural networks to enhance wrongdoing, raising questions about risk management, governance, and the protection of digital ecosystems as automation becomes more embedded in everyday operations. The need for robust policies, continuous monitoring, and proactive education for workers remains critical as the technology matures and spreads across sectors. (Source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta)