AI's Laptop Test: Will Your Remote Job Survive the Next Decade?

The Laptop Test: Why Most Remote Jobs Could Disappear Within 10 Years

Shane Legg, Chief AGI Scientist and co-founder of Google DeepMind, warns that artificial intelligence is entering a phase that goes far beyond productivity tools and assistance. Over the next decade, AI could fundamentally reshape how people work and earn, potentially eliminating large portions of remote, cognitive jobs as machines take on tasks once reserved for human knowledge workers.

AI's Unstoppable Rise Beyond Human Limits

Legg argues that human intelligence does not represent an upper limit for machines. “I think absolutely not,” he said when asked whether AI would be capped at human-level ability. With data centres operating at near-light speed, consuming vast amounts of power and processing information at scales no human brain can match, Legg stressed that machines are structurally positioned to surpass humans, and that this shift is no longer theoretical.

AI's Growing Capabilities in Knowledge Work

Legg noted that AI systems are already outperforming humans in areas such as language and general knowledge, and believes their current weaknesses will steadily disappear. “My expectation is over a number of years these things will all get addressed,” he said, pointing to improvements in reasoning, visual understanding and continual learning. As AI moves toward professional-level capability in coding, mathematics and complex knowledge work, the future of remote jobs begins to look increasingly fragile.

The Stark Assessment: Which Jobs Are Most at Risk?

He offered a stark assessment of which roles are most exposed: “If you can do the job remotely over the internet just using a computer, then that job is potentially at risk.” In software engineering, Legg expects teams to shrink dramatically as AI takes over more tasks. “In a few years, where prior you needed 100 software engineers, maybe you need 20, and those 20 use advanced AI tools,” he said, warning that entry-level and remote roles could be hit hardest.

AI's Impact on the Economy and Society

Beyond individual jobs, Legg believes AI will “structurally change the economy and society.” The traditional model of exchanging mental or physical labour for income may no longer function once machines can perform much of that work better and cheaper. While the transition will be uneven and jobs requiring physical presence may be safer for longer, Legg cautioned against complacency, comparing the moment to early pandemic warnings. “People find it very hard to believe that a really big change is coming,” he said. Still, he sees potential for a “real golden age” driven by AI, if societies can solve the challenge of distributing wealth and purpose in a world where work itself is being redefined.