Cisco Systems President Jeetu Patel predicted artificial intelligence will create more jobs than it eliminates over the next five years.
He argued early signals show AI speeds some tasks while exposing new constraints and opportunities that require people to solve problems and capture additional value.
"In some forms of work, they could be 50x or even 100x more effective," Patel wrote on X.
Patel said automation does not remove the need for human contribution and often reveals “how much more could be accomplished with it,” shifting work to different parts of a workflow rather than erasing it.
He described the biggest future divide as between workers who are AI-fluent and those who are not, saying fluency can multiply effectiveness far beyond small productivity gains.
Patel added that technological cost reductions let companies create new products and enter markets they previously could not, which in turn creates more jobs, albeit different ones requiring new skills.
He said the priority should be helping workers develop AI skills instead of attempting to shield them from the technology.
The view echoed comments in the article that other figures, including an Apollo economist and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, have also argued AI is expanding roles tied to data centres, semiconductors and related work.
