SAP Says Fears Of An AI Job Apocalypse Are Overblown

At SAP’s Sapphire conference in Madrid, COO Sebastian Steinhaeuser said fears of an immediate AI-driven job wipeout are overstated.

He argued AI will reshape work over time, with long-term effects often underestimated rather than dramatic short-term labor disruption.

Steinhaeuser cited radiology as an example, saying AI can raise demand and change how work is done instead of simply cutting jobs.

He said software development will increasingly shift toward higher-level architecture, customer-facing, and creative tasks as AI handles routine work.