Dario Amodei, CEO of the influential artificial intelligence company Anthropic, has issued a stark and urgent warning: AI could soon eliminate millions of entry-level white-collar jobs, with U.S. unemployment potentially spiking to between 10% and 20% within the next one to five years.

Speaking from his San Francisco office, Amodei cautioned that the rapid acceleration of AI development is likely to bring massive disruption to professional sectors including technology, finance, law, and consulting — particularly affecting early-career roles.

“People need to stop sugar-coating what’s coming,” Amodei said. “We are on the brink of significant job displacement, and very few are prepared for it — not workers, not lawmakers, and not even many corporate leaders.”

At 42, Amodei stands at the helm of one of the most powerful AI firms in the world — developing the very tools that could transform, or destabilize, the economy.

And while he acknowledges the technology’s vast potential for good, he is sounding the alarm about the collateral damage it may cause.

In his view, the looming “job apocalypse” is being overlooked. Politicians appear either unaware or unwilling to engage, and business leaders are hesitant to discuss the possible fallout publicly.

“Most people just don’t believe this is about to happen,” he said. “It sounds crazy.”

President Donald Trump has remained largely silent on the labor implications of AI, but Steve Bannon, a key figure from Trump’s first term and host of the influential MAGA-aligned “War Room” podcast, predicts AI’s impact on the job market will be a major issue in the 2028 election.

“Entry-level jobs for people under 30 — the ones that shape your career in your twenties — are about to be wiped out,” Bannon warned.

Amodei has just unveiled new versions of his company’s AI systems, capable of coding at near-human levels. He emphasizes that while such breakthroughs can drive extraordinary progress — from curing cancer to boosting GDP — they may also lead to mass unemployment.

“Cancer is cured, the economy grows at 10% a year, the budget is balanced — and 20% of people don’t have jobs,” he said. That’s a scenario he believes is not only plausible but increasingly likely if society doesn’t act now.

Amodei’s public concern echoes what many AI leaders have privately shared: even those optimistic about long-term benefits worry about the painful short-term transition.

The risks, he believes, are simply not being taken seriously enough.

“We, as the producers of this technology, have a duty and an obligation to be honest about what is coming,” Amodei said. “I don’t think this is on people’s radar.”

He described the current situation as paradoxical: those building the technology are urging caution, but the broader public and leadership remain skeptical.

“We’re saying, ‘You should be worried about where this is going.’ And the response is, ‘We don’t believe you. You’re just hyping it.’”