99% Unemployment Within Five Years (by 2030)
AI Safety Researcher Roman Yampolskiy, 2025: 'In Five Years' Unemployment Will Hit 'Not 10%... but 99%'
On a top business podcast, the University of Louisville computer scientist said computers take the desk jobs first, then humanoid robots take the rest, by 2030.
What was said
“in five years, we're looking at a world where we have levels of unemployment we've never seen before. Not talking about 10%, but 99%”
— Roman Yampolskiy (computer scientist, University of Louisville) · said Sep 4, 2025 · due By about September 2030 (five years from September 2025)
The fine print
He repeated it later in the episode: 'So in five years, all the physical labor can also be automated. So we're looking at a world where we have levels of unemployment we've never seen before. I'm not talking about 10% in employment, which is scary, but 99%.' He also said: 'It doesn't mean it will be automated in practice.' The clock runs from the episode date.