Citadel CEO Ken Griffin was a prominent AI skeptic. Now he says, 'AI is real.' (www.businessinsider.com)

Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, once a vocal skeptic of artificial intelligence, has recently acknowledged the technology's transformative potential. During a conversation at Stanford Business School, he expressed his newfound belief that AI has become "profoundly more powerful" since earlier this year, when he described it as "garbage" at the World Economic Forum. Griffin highlighted AI's capability to perform complex tasks, previously done by highly educated finance professionals, in a fraction of the time. He noted that tasks which used to take weeks or months can now be accomplished in just days or hours, posing significant implications for the workforce. This pivot in Griffin's perspective signifies a major shift in the perception of AI across industries, particularly finance, where automation is rapidly replacing traditional roles. Companies leveraging AI, such as those developing advanced coding bots, are experiencing notable productivity improvements, with some estimates suggesting increases of 15% to 25%. Griffin warns that as AI continues to evolve, workers will need to adapt by embracing lifelong learning to remain relevant in their careers, underscoring the technology's potential to reshape not just the workplace but the fabric of society itself.