Anthropic boss: AI will take half of entry level jobs in the UK
Chief executive of artificial heavyweight Anthropic, Dario Amodei, has issued a warning about the near-term future of work, saying that AI could eliminate up to 50 per cent of all entry level white collar jobs within the next five years, with the UK market particularly vulnerable to disruption.
Speaking at his company’s inaugural developer conference, Amodei said the widespread adoption of AI, especially advanced language models like Claude-Anthropic’s flagship product, is progressing quicker than most people realise.
“We, as the producers of this technology, have a duty and an obligation to be honest about what’s coming”, he said. “I don’t think this is on people’s radar”.
He argued that this rapid evolution could drive unemployment up to 10 to 20 per cent over the same period, as firms increasingly automate junior roles in sectors like law, finance, technology and consulting.
UK jobs hit by the rise of AI
While these projections are global in scope, the UK economy is feeling the impact, with recent ONS data showing youth unemployment in the UK rising to 12.6 per cent in early 2025, and stagnated wage growth for entry-level roles.
Recruiters in the City and across tech hubs like Cambridge have reported a sharp drop in junior-level hiring, a trend some attribute to AI adoption.
A report from venture capital firm SignalFire also showed that early-career hiring in Big Tech has halved since the pandemic, with AI cited as a major driver.
In 2024, entry-level hires represented just seven per cent of all roles at such firms, down 25 per cent year on year.
“AI is doing what interns and new grads used to do”, said SignalFire partner Heather Dishy. “Now, one experienced worker equipped with AI tools can do the work of multiple junior staff, without the overhead”.
Amodei was critical of what he sees as a failure by both governments and AI firms to level with the public on the severity of the situation. “Most of them are unaware this is about to happen”, he said.
In the UK, policymakers remain focused on AI safety and national competitiveness, yet, Amodei believes economic preparedness is being neglected.
He voiced that deregulation, such as the EU AI act and the US’s sweeping “big beautiful bill”, which bans state-level AI laws for a decade, could leave workers dangerously exposed.
While UK unemployment stands at 4.5 per cent, according to recent figures, Amodei warned: “We can prevent the worst of this, but only if we at now”.