'AI isn’t taking your job, it’s...': Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian dismisses layoff fears

At a time when fears of artificial intelligence (AI) replacing human workers dominate headlines, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian is offering a refreshingly balanced counterpoint: AI isn’t coming for your job — it’s coming to make it better. 

In a recent interview with Big Technology, Kurian dismissed the doomsday narrative that AI will automate away millions of roles, describing the technology instead as a bridge between what people can do today and what they aspire to do tomorrow. 

“I think there is definitely a middle ground,” Kurian said. “AI should be seen less as a replacement for human talent and more as an amplifier of it.” 

Kurian’s remarks reflect a growing sentiment among tech leaders who see AI as an accelerator of productivity, not a destroyer of employment. He pointed to Google’s Customer Engagement Suite — an AI-powered platform that assists customer service teams — as proof that the technology can enhance work without eliminating jobs. 

“When we first introduced it, people asked, ‘Does this mean we won’t need agents anymore?’ But almost none of our clients have let anyone go,” Kurian said. “Instead, it helps customers get faster answers to questions they might not otherwise call about.” 

The Customer Engagement Suite uses generative AI to handle routine queries, freeing up human agents to tackle more complex or sensitive customer concerns. The result, according to Kurian, is a better experience for both customers and employees — not a smaller workforce. 

Kurian’s optimism mirrors that of Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who recently told the Lex Fridman Podcast that AI has made Google’s own engineers roughly 10% more productive, allowing them to focus on more creative and meaningful projects. 

“The opportunity space of what we can do is expanding,” Pichai said, noting that AI takes over repetitive coding or administrative tasks, enabling humans to focus on innovation. 

Both leaders emphasise that AI’s role should be collaborative — augmenting human capability rather than erasing it. Kurian argues that as long as companies treat AI as an assistant rather than an adversary, it can help workers “keep up” in a rapidly evolving economy. 

His message lands amid an intensifying global debate over the future of work. From call centers to software development, employees worldwide are anxious about automation. But Kurian believes that the key lies not in resisting AI, but in embracing it thoughtfully. 

“AI’s real purpose,” he said, “is to help people perform better, not to push them out.” 

For Kurian, who spent more than two decades at Oracle before joining Google, this isn’t just corporate optimism — it’s a practical vision of how technology and humanity can advance together.  In his view, AI isn’t here to take your job. It’s here to upgrade it.