- Say hello to a 5-day weekend: Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says artificial intelligence may soon automate almost everything—and with it, usher in a 2-day work week in less than a decade.
If you are not a fan of the 9-to-5 weekly grind, there’s good news: Bill Gates is predicting that in just 10 years, humans might just work two days out of the week—and it’s all thanks to AI.
At the current pace of innovation, the Microsoft co-founder predicts that humans will no longer be needed “for most things,” and so a rethinking of the workplace will soon be in order.
“What will jobs be like? Should we just work like 2 or 3 days a week?” the billionaire told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.
This is not the first time the billionaire alluded to a shortening of the workweek. In 2023, when ChatGPT was still in its infancy, Gates said society might “eventually” get to a scenario where working three days a week is the norm—and the world will have to figure out what to do with more leisure time.
“If you zoom out, the purpose of life is not just to do jobs,” he told Trevor Noah’s “What Now?” podcast.
A 5-day weekend could boost birth rates and kill burnout
Any workweek reduction is likely music to the ears of many workers who are battling burnout, exhaustion, and disconnect—especially following the pandemic. And there are indications that the shift to a four-day workweek, in particular, is beneficial. One company found that cutting work by one day increased productivity by 24% and cut burnout in half.
While the widespread adoption of a shortened worksheet hasn’t caught on yet, the pendulum is moving. For example, Tokyo’s Metropolitan government recently announced a turn to a 4-day workweek—in part to help boost birth rates in Japan.
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan, has also expressed his view that AI will make working less of a priority—placing his bet on a three-and-a-half day workweek.
However, there are no indications that his company is heading in that direction anytime soon due to the new enforcement of a strict five-day return-to-office policy.
The 2 professions likely to be replaced by AI, according to Gates
As AI takes aim at the workplace, Gates admitted there will be professions that see much more change than others. In his conversation with Fallon, he singled out doctors and teachers as two pathways that will experience replacement—but to the benefit of society as a whole.
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“With AI, over the next decade, (intelligence) will become free, commonplace—great medical advice, great tutoring,” Gates said.
While he says humans will reserve some jobs—like playing professional baseball, for example—he pictures a world where AI is doing close to everything.
“There will be some things that we reserve ourselves for, but in terms of making things and moving things and growing food—over time, those will be basically solved problems,” Gates said.
If you can’t beat it, join it: Those aiming to succeed in the business world during this new, uncertain era of technological advancement are likely to be those who embrace, not resist, AI the most moving forward. According to LinkedIn, AI literacy is the fastest-growing skill for 2025.