THIS Advice by Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas for Students and Young Generation in AI Era

Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas urges students and the youth to drastically cut social media time and instead, focus on mastering AI. He warns that AI fluency is rapidly becoming essential for job market viability, as those who embrace it will be far more employable. Acknowledging AI's rapid evolution, which demands constant reskilling, Srinivas suggests that while some jobs may be displaced, new opportunities will emerge through entrepreneurship and continuous AI learning. He believes AI will augment roles, citing tools like Perplexity's Comet as examples of AI streamlining tasks like recruitment. His core message: treat AI as a powerful enabler, commit to ongoing learning, and innovate to thrive in the future workforce.

The Urgency of AI Fluency

Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, advises students and the younger generation to prioritize engagement with AI tools over passive consumption of social media. He stresses that fluency in AI tools is quickly becoming a crucial employment criterion. Srinivas asserts that individuals proficient in utilizing AI systems will undeniably possess a significant advantage in the job market.

Srinivas recognizes the substantial challenge presented by the accelerated pace of technological change. Given that AI tools evolve every three to six months, he highlights the increasing demand for workers to continuously reskill. He observes that the human race has historically been slow to adapt, suggesting that current advancements are "testing the limits" of our adaptability.

AI's Impact on Jobs and the Path Forward

The rapid evolution of AI brings forth both promising advancements and concerns regarding job displacement. Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, anticipates the inevitable loss of some jobs to automation, a prediction shared by other AI leaders. For instance, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei projected a 50% elimination of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years, while AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton cautioned against AI replacing "mundane intellectual labor."

Despite these challenges, Srinivas advocates for a proactive approach: fostering entrepreneurship and embracing continuous learning. He believes that AI can and should be leveraged to create new opportunities. As he explained, "Either the other people who lose jobs end up starting companies themselves and make use of AIs, or they end up learning the AIs and contributing to new companies."

AI as an Augmenter, Even in Recruitment

Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, echoes Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's perspective that AI will transform jobs through augmentation rather than outright elimination. Srinivas highlighted how AI tools, such as Perplexity's Comet, could soon handle tasks like recruitment.

During an appearance on The Verge's "Decoder" podcast, Srinivas explained that an AI like Comet could simplify a week's worth of recruiter work into a single prompt for "sourcing and reach outs," followed by "state tracking." He envisioned AI proactively managing responses, updating spreadsheets, syncing calendars, scheduling conversations, and even preparing meeting briefs without direct instructions.

Comet is currently available to paid subscribers, with free user invitations being progressively rolled out, indicating a future of increasingly smooth AI integration into professional responsibilities.

In essence, Aravind Srinivas's advice boils down to a clear call to action: proactively engage with AI, treat it as an enabling tool, prioritize continuous learning and adaptation, and consider building new solutions rather than just optimizing old ones. The future workforce will be defined not by those who avoid AI, but by those who master its use.