Demis Hassabis, the chief executive of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) subsidiary Google's DeepMind, is recasting career advice for the AI age, arguing that mastering powerful AI tools may now be a better bet for students than chasing traditional internships.
AI Era Begins Disrupting Internships And Junior Roles
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos alongside Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Hassabis said he expects artificial intelligence to start biting into junior and entry-level roles this year, including internships, as companies automate routine work. That shift, he suggested, undermines the old model where students learned by performing repetitive tasks inside big organizations.
"If I was to talk to a class of undergrads right now, I'd be telling them to get really, unbelievably proficient with these tools," Hassabis said, calling AI systems "amazing creative tools" that are effectively available to everyone. He added that deep fluency and hands-on projects with AI can "maybe [be] better than a traditional internship" for letting graduates “leapfrog” into being ready professionals.
Hassabis has repeatedly argued that, in a labor market being reshaped by AI, what candidates can actually build with technology is becoming a stronger signal to employers than short stints at marquee firms.
Technical Fluency Becomes Stronger Signal For Employers
Other Tech Chiefs Echo AI-First Career Advice
Other tech leaders have moved in a similar direction. OpenAI's Sam Altman has told students that fluency with AI tools now matters more than specific degrees and predicts many entry-level roles will be reshaped or erased.
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