An “AI apocalypse” may already be taking shape, according to Dex Hunter–Torricke, the former communications chief at Google’s artificial intelligence division DeepMind who has also worked closely with Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. Hunter–Torricke is warning that artificial intelligence is advancing at such speed that it could dramatically widen inequality, disrupt white-collar professions and reshape the global balance of economic power.
Hunter–Torricke painted a stark picture of what the coming decades could hold. “An elite class with AI–augmented capabilities enabling lives of luxury, equipped with medical breakthroughs that deliver longer lifespans, living in parallel with a global majority whose economic prospects, healthcare access, and political power have been permanently curtailed.
Enjoying day 1 of Connect IT Europe? Make sure not to miss day 2, where we welcome Dex Hunter-Torricke, former communications executive for Facebook and Google, to the mainstage. Learn more here https://t.co/j5IU6CfUhg. pic.twitter.com/oIvb7IJ0Vw
— Kaseya Corp (@KaseyaCorp) September 15, 2022
“This is not a prediction I make lightly. We can see the forces already clearly in motion.” His warning centers on the idea that artificial intelligence development is moving rapidly and largely within a small group of powerful technology firms that control the computing infrastructure, proprietary data and engineering expertise required to build advanced systems. As these tools grow more capable, he argues, the benefits may disproportionately flow to those at the top.
Hunter–Torricke has emphasized that industries built around processing information — including finance, law, consulting, media and marketing — are especially vulnerable to automation. Artificial intelligence systems capable of generating detailed reports, analyzing massive datasets and performing strategic modeling are already reducing reliance on certain professional roles.
Haters will say this is AI 🕺🕺 pic.twitter.com/vqWVxiYXeD
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 14, 2024
He cautioned that the productivity gains from artificial intelligence will likely be enormous, but warned that those gains may not be widely shared. The economic structure, he suggested, does not automatically distribute technological benefits evenly. Instead, rising corporate efficiency could coincide with shrinking labor demand in key sectors.
The result, according to Hunter–Torricke, could be a widening divide between those who own or control advanced AI systems and those displaced by them. He has described the trajectory as one that risks creating long-term structural inequality rather than broad prosperity.
Well now, this should be FASCINATING. We’re hearing from Dex Hunter-Torricke, Head of Communications at Meta’s Oversight Board. The Board was set up to answer questions around freedom of expression online: what to take down, what to leave up and why? #CIPRConf21 pic.twitter.com/mNbSe57qz8
— Gemma Pettman (@GemmaPettmanPR) November 9, 2021
Separate projections from other tech leaders underscore the speed of change. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has predicted that significant white-collar job disruption could begin as early as 2027, particularly in roles centered on information processing and analysis. Schmidt has described the potential economic transformation as “massively destabilizing,” suggesting that once AI systems reach certain performance thresholds, adoption could accelerate rapidly.
While Schmidt’s forecast focuses on the near-term labor market impact, Hunter–Torricke’s warning looks further ahead — toward what he views as a possible mid-century reshaping of society itself.
Despite the dire framing, Hunter–Torricke has acknowledged that artificial intelligence also holds transformative promise. AI could accelerate scientific discovery, enable new medical treatments and dramatically increase productivity across industries. The concern, he argues, is not the technology itself but how its benefits are distributed.
He has called for broader conversations about policy, governance and economic safeguards to prevent AI-driven concentration of power. Without intervention, he warns, society may face a future defined not just by inequality but by what he characterizes as a kind of economic divergence between an augmented elite and a diminished global majority.
As artificial intelligence continues to evolve at breakneck speed, the warnings from former insiders like Hunter–Torricke add urgency to the debate. Whether AI ushers in shared prosperity or deep structural division, he suggests, will depend on choices being made today.
