Ford CEO Warns AI Could Replace Half of White-Collar Jobs
Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley has added his voice to a growing number of corporate leaders raising alarm over the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence. Speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Farley said he believes AI could eventually replace “literally half” of all white-collar jobs in the United States.
While Farley offered few specifics, his remarks underscore mounting concerns across industries about AI’s rapid evolution and the threat it poses to traditional office-based employment.
He joins a list of CEOs – spanning tech, healthcare, and finance – who are now publicly acknowledging that AI may soon automate a wide range of roles once considered immune to disruption. Executives at companies like Amazon, Shopify, JPMorgan Chase, Fiverr, Anthropic, Moderna, and Spotify have recently voiced similar concerns.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, for instance, said this week that generative AI advancements will likely eliminate some jobs, while simultaneously creating demand for new roles in robotics and technical fields.
At AI research firm Anthropic, CEO Dario Amodei warned that up to 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs could disappear within five years, potentially driving unemployment up by as much as 20%. Chief Product Officer Mike Krieger added that he now feels uncertain about hiring recent graduates, given how quickly some roles are becoming obsolete.
Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman went further, suggesting that roles ranging from software engineers and product managers to lawyers and data scientists could all be at risk. Moderna’s Stéphane Bancel also predicted that AI could significantly reduce headcount at his company, saying only a few thousand employees may be needed in the future.
Spotify co-founder Tobi Lütke has reportedly paused hiring while the company assesses which tasks AI might handle more efficiently.
A May 2025 study from PYMNTS Intelligence found that over half of U.S. workers – 54% – believe AI poses a real threat to their employment, with higher concern levels among those with advanced education or tech experience.
However, not everyone in the tech world agrees. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has pushed back against these dire predictions, calling them “overly alarmist.” Huang maintains that responsible, transparent AI development could mitigate many of the risks associated with workforce disruption.
Still, Farley’s comments suggest that the conversation around AI and employment is shifting from speculation to strategic concern at the highest levels of corporate leadership.
