Bezos says AI will lead to labor shortages in Paris speech
2026-06-17
Bezos' view
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, said on the 17th at an event in Paris that AI, or artificial intelligence, will create labor shortages. Speaking at VIVA Technology, Europe's largest startup event, he outlined the goals of AI startup Prometheus, which he launched with his own money, and his vision for the space industry.
Prometheus' goals
Bezos appeared as co-chief executive officer of Prometheus. Prometheus is a startup he founded with his own money in 2025 and is developing AI models and tools to support product design and manufacturing for the computing and aerospace industries.
While the common view is that AI will take intellectual work away from people, Bezos said, 'AI will enable people to identify more new problems,' indicating his view that demand for intellectual labor will rise. About Prometheus' AI models, he said they are strong in engineering and can greatly speed up the processing needed for object design. He said AI would lower barriers to bringing ideas to life and create 'true productivity, true prosperity.'
Vision for the space industry
Bezos also referred to Blue Origin, the U.S. space company he founded. On the purpose of entering the space industry, he said it was 'to build all the infrastructure needed to realize a dynamic space economy,' and expressed his intention to create an environment with lower entry costs so that smaller companies can also participate.
Citing success in the internet industry, he said, 'Two students in a dorm room were able to build a huge company. I want space to be the same.' On his ultimate goal, he stressed moving polluting industries off Earth and 'returning this paradise-like planet, Earth, to its pre-industrial state.' He also said he wants to build infrastructure in space so that three times the current population could live on Earth, and referred to his plan to build 'colonies' in space where many people could live.
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