At the recent Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha, Warren Buffett, who typically avoids technology investments beyond his understanding, discussed artificial intelligence (AI) — a topic of great interest among shareholders. Despite his limited knowledge of AI, Buffett described the technology as a “genie” with potentially disastrous effects, comparable to the emergence of nuclear weapons. He expressed concerns about AI’s capabilities for massive scams and its profound risks to humanity.

Buffett also touched on a century-old economic question that remains unanswered, regarding the societal impact of increased productivity — a dilemma highlighted by economist John Maynard Keynes. Keynes, known for advocating government intervention during economic downturns, failed to foresee how societies would utilize gains in productivity. Buffett underscored this point to highlight the challenges facing labor-intensive companies like Berkshire Hathaway in balancing technological efficiency with human safety.

“It can create an enormous amount of leisure time,” Buffett said. “Now what the world does with leisure time is another question. … I know an awful lot of people think when they go to work at first what they want is leisure time — and what I like is actually having more problems to solve,” said Buffett.

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