A growing chorus of analysts and commentators is warning that AI-driven workforce automation could trigger severe economic disruption, with some predicting mass layoffs of 10–25% across industries creating depression-level unemployment [1]. Tech insiders like Mo Gawdat argue AGI has effectively already arrived, forecasting that 30% of jobs in sectors like call centres and graphic design will vanish by 2027–2028 [2]. Meanwhile, skeptics and optimists push back, with investors like Kevin O'Leary remaining bullish on AI's potential even as economists note that the value created by AI may accrue entirely to consumers rather than the companies building it [3].