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AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference
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On April 17, 2025, the MIT Shaping the Future of Work Initiative and the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing welcomed Arvind Narayanan, Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University, to discuss his latest book, "AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference," co-authored with Sayash Kapoor.
The presentation was followed by a discussion with Daron Acemoglu, MIT Institute Professor and Co-Director of the Shaping the Future of Work Initiative, along with audience Q&A.
00:00 Opening Remarks (Asu Ozdaglar and Daron Acemoglu)
05:45 Presentation (Arvind Narayanan)
27:00 Fireside Chat (Arvind Narayanan and Daron Acemoglu)
43:45 Audience Q+A
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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on AI replacing people:
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang offered a perspective on the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the workforce this week, stating that while every job will undergo change, the primary challenge for workers will be adapting to those who leverage the new technology. Speaking at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference 2025, Huang said, “So, all of you have heard a lot about job displacement. Every job will be affected. Some jobs will be lost, some jobs will be created; but every job will be affected,” he said.
“You are not going to lose your job to AI, but you are going to lose your job to somebody who uses AI,” he then elaborated on a key distinction. He urged attendees to embrace the technology, advising, “Don't be that person who ignores this technology and this result loses you.”
Huang, painting an optimistic picture of AI's potential to expand the workforce, claimed that there is a “shortage of workers.” “For the very first time in history we actually can imagine the opportunity…to put 30-40 million workers back into the workforce” through the implementation of AI,” he said.
Underscoring AI's potential to bridge the digital divide, Huang highlighted its ability to democratize technology access beyond traditional programming skills. He provided an example to the conference attendees, suggesting that while many might not know how to program in languages like C++ or C, “100% of you know how to programme in AI,” referencing intuitive interaction methods like “vibe coding.”
He explained this is possible “because AI will speak whatever language you want it to speak,” allowing users to interact by drawing schematics, speaking, or giving explicit or implicit prompts.Huang also stated that artificial intelligence is “probably our best way to increase the global GDP.” Recently, Huang was in Saudi Arabia for a chip deal, following which Nvidia’s stock surged and boosted Jensen Huang’s net worth by $12 billion.
