However, amid growing fears that AI could trigger mass layoffs, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes the technology will ultimately help create an abundance of new jobs.

“I do not understand why anyone who believes that AI will eliminate most jobs and much of humanity’s relevance would rush to build that future,” Zuckerberg wrote in an essay published on Meta’s website.

In the essay, he argued that superintelligence will be among the most important technologies in history.

“Its opportunities and challenges will likely be greater than any we’ve seen in our lifetimes. We should take this very seriously,” he said.

Zuckerberg also highlighted the potential impact of AI on the job market, while warning against concentrating the technology’s power in the hands of a few.

“The notion that AI is so dangerous that the only safe path is an extreme concentration of power seems inherently problematic. Historically, hoping that an absolute power will benevolently provide for humanity if sufficiently enlightened has not led to safe or positive outcomes,” he wrote.

Focusing on the role of superintelligence, Zuckerberg said invention, rather than automation, would be its greatest contribution.

“Invention, not automation, will be the greatest contribution of superintelligence,” he wrote. “Early AI could answer questions and do routine work. Soon it will increasingly help discover new knowledge — ranging from discovering new drugs to cure a family member’s disease to finding new ways to improve your business.”

Zuckerberg said Meta believes that making superintelligence widely accessible is the best way to ensure that its benefits are distributed across society.

“We believe that delivering superintelligence to everyone is the way to answer this question,” he said.

He compared the approach to the widespread availability of supercomputers and the internet, arguing that superintelligence should not be concentrated within a small number of institutions.

“Rather than centralizing superintelligence, we should distribute it widely and give every person the ability to direct it,” Zuckerberg wrote.

According to him, this could usher in “a new era of personal empowerment”, allowing individuals to use AI to pursue their interests, reach their full potential and improve their lives.

Zuckerberg said Meta is primarily focused on building “personal superintelligence” that can be made available to everyone.

“Most other labs are focused on building AI for companies, governments, or other institutions, so if those labs lead, then the balance of power will favor larger institutions over individuals,” he said.

He added that Meta’s mission since its founding has been focused on “putting power in people’s hands”.

Zuckerberg also dismissed the idea that AI will simply eliminate jobs, arguing that technological advances have historically created entirely new professions.

“People also continually come up with new ideas to make our lives better and new jobs to bring those ideas to life,” he wrote.

He pointed to professions such as app developers, social media creators, electric vehicle technicians and data centre operators, which were either non-existent or far less common a generation ago.

Looking ahead, Zuckerberg predicted that AI could lead to the emergence of professions that are difficult to imagine today.

“In the near future, there will be new jobs that aren’t common today, like one-person product studios designing custom toys, furniture, or clothes; world builders and experience designers creating games, stories, and adventures; personal biologists using superintelligence to formulate personalized treatments; and much more that we can’t yet conceive,” he said.

He also predicted that businesses could become smaller in terms of workforce while becoming significantly more capable.

“I expect we will start seeing small numbers of people with personal superintelligence agents able to run companies at significant scale,” Zuckerberg wrote.

He said small businesses would continue to remain the “backbone of the economy”, but AI could enable each business to have a much greater impact.

Zuckerberg’s comments come amid growing concerns over AI-driven job displacement, with technology companies themselves cutting jobs as they restructure around artificial intelligence.

Meta has also undertaken significant workforce reductions in recent years, adding to the wider debate over whether AI will ultimately create more jobs than it displaces.