Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel believes artificial intelligence will create significant challenges for the current workforce. In a recent podcast discussion, Fogel noted that while AI offers operational benefits, it carries a distinct human cost as job roles shift or disappear.
Fogel is moving to address these changes by mandating that every employee at Booking becomes AI literate. The goal is to ensure staff members have the skills to remain relevant in a market that is rapidly adopting automated tools. He emphasizes that if a specific job becomes unnecessary, a worker with these new skills has a much higher chance of finding a role elsewhere.
This perspective contrasts with other corporate leaders who have either ignored the impact of AI or explicitly linked it to staff reductions. Fogel explicitly predicts rough waters for various industries, specifically citing investment banking as a field that may eventually require fewer entry-level analysts. He views this training initiative as a foundational requirement for the company moving forward.
While some executives claim AI will not affect headcount, Fogel suggests that ignoring the shift is not a viable strategy. By focusing on literacy, he hopes to prepare his workforce for a transition that he views as inevitable.