Executives urge workers to embrace AI — now
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
The risk with artificial intelligence isn't automation — it's hesitation. That was a key message from LinkedIn, Walmart and OpenAI executives in Bentonville Thursday.
Why it matters: AI's rapid development — including models expected to exceed human intelligence by 2030 — will upend business models, learning systems and the future of work, according to futurist Matthew Griffin.
- Fanning the flame of urgency, an AI tool revealed this week shows how the technology is performing "economically valuable work."
Driving the news: Walmart's 2025 Opportunity Summit convened about 300 professionals from companies including Kaiser Family Foundation, Merlin Entertainments, Bank of America and investment company Blackstone.
What they're saying: Griffin, founder of emerging tech advisory firm 311 Institute, delivered the keynote and urged workers, educators and executives to reframe their relationship with AI.
- "The future is a mindset. If you see technologies like artificial intelligence as a threat, you need to change your perspective," he said.
Nearly all jobs will change as AI becomes more capable, Griffin warned. Instead of being replaced, workers have an opportunity to amplify their unique human abilities if they choose to learn how.
- Griffin said access to "free intelligence" levels the playing field for anyone with curiosity and drive.
- "Every worker needs to stop waiting for their company to tell them what's next. Ask AI. Use it to map your company's future. Learn the skills it says you'll need," he said.
Reality check: Users are still skeptical about the technology and many are setting boundaries for how they use it. Predicting weather is OK, but jury selection might be too much.
The big picture: Walmart, the world's largest private employer, held its first such summit last year in Washington, D.C., with companies like Home Depot, McDonald's and Verizon to discuss how they can coordinate efforts and offer higher-paid jobs to workers without degrees.
- The focus this year was on the evolution of the workforce through technology and the rise of skilled trades workers.
The bottom line: "There are two paths ahead," Griffin said.
- "One leads to fear. The other leads to reinvention. Which one we follow depends on our mindset."