Siemens CEO: People who use AI will replace those who don't

Siemens CEO Roland Busch says AI won't directly replace humans, but people who use AI will increasingly replace those who don't. As companies rethink how AI changes the job market, AI skills are becoming a key workplace advantage.

He believes automation will take over much manual labor, but creative people with engineering knowledge will still be needed. Large AI models are basically pattern-matching tools, he says. Humans still lead in deciding what to design and what the goals should be.

Compared with steam power and electricity, the biggest difference is speed. Steam took 60 years to change society, electricity 30 years, and the internet 15 years. AI may only need 7 to 8 years, and 3.5 years have already passed.

Siemens believes AI investments will only pay off when AI enters the real world. Future autonomous robots will have AI brains that can learn and adapt, and manufacturing will change with them.