Mistral AI CEO Flags Deskilling, Not Job Cuts, as AI’s Greatest Threat

Mistral AI co-founder and CEO Arthur Mensch argues that the real threat from AI isn’t mass white-collar job cuts but “deskilling,” as overreliance on AI tools makes people lazier and less engaged in critical thinking. Speaking at VivaTech in Paris, Mensch countered claims by Anthropic’s Dario Amodei—who warned of potential 50% entry-level job losses—and Anthropic CPO Mike Krieger’s view that AI is already reshaping engineering roles. Mensch says designers should build systems that keep humans active in reviewing AI outputs, ensuring continuous learning and accurate information processing. He predicts AI will shift white-collar roles toward more relational tasks and stresses that human critique is vital to avoid blindly accepting AI-generated results.