Human CEOs to become irrelevant in the next 30 years: Alibaba founder

Technological advancements are taking place at a rapid pace. While in many ways, this is a good thing for the human race; many feel like technology will eventually take control of the society.

People are terrified of a robot uprising. In fact, nearly two out of every three people say an “android takeover” in the near future is a “genuine concern,” according to a small survey of 2,000 British people. Even top tech executives think they could be replaced by robots one day and among them is Alibaba founder Jack Ma. 

Human CEOs to become irrelevant

According to CNN, Jack Ma — who was recently declared by Fortune Magazine as one of the world’s greatest leaders — predicts that technology will make many CEOs irrelevant in the near future.

“In 30 years, a robot will likely be on the cover of Time Magazine as the best CEO,” Ma said in a speech at an entrepreneurship conference in China over the weekend. “In the next three decades, the world will experience far more pain than happiness,” he added.

He feels that robots are going to be quicker and more rational than humans, since they don’t get bogged down in emotions — like getting angry due to competition.

Importance of coping with AI

He emphasized on how schools must teach children to be more “creative and curious” to deal with the rise of artificial intelligence. He said that he has tried warning people that online retailers would affect the profits of traditional businesses back in the 90’s and nobody listened to him.

He compared the impending advent of robots to the rise of the Internet. “Fifteen years ago, I gave speeches 200 or 300 times reminding everyone the internet will impact all industries, but people didn’t listen because I was a nobody,” Bloomberg reported him as saying.

AI will ultimately improve human life

However, he also added that Artificial Intelligence will ultimately improve our everyday lives. He feels that specially-designed bots will help wealthy countries cope with their ageing work force. “Machines will do what human beings are incapable of doing. They will partner and cooperate with humans, rather than become mankind’s biggest enemy,” he concluded.

His comments come as his company Alibaba has started diversifying across all fields. The e-commerce giant — equivalent to where eBay stands — has invested in everything from film production to streaming services and cloud-based computing.