Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar says American workers should view artificial intelligence as a tool to dismantle corporate bureaucracy rather than a threat to their livelihoods.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Sankar argued that AI can reverse a century-long “managerial revolution” that shifted power from workers to management.
“AI can eliminate bureaucracy because we’ve built up all these layers… to concentrate power essentially in the hands of a few bureaucrats running organizations and away from the worker at the frontline,” he said.
As AI handles routine oversight, “coordination costs go down,” allowing companies to flatten their hierarchies and return agency to the individuals doing the actual work, he argued.
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“I think that’s a much more fun place to work, but also it’s a more empowered place to work,” the tech exec said. “There’s more meaning to the work. There’s more impact in what you’re doing.”
In a Fox News op-ed, Sankar warned that leaders must resist using AI as a “compliance” tool or forming “AI governance” committees that centralize power. Instead, he argued that AI should empower the American worker to move faster, not slow them down.
For those concerned about AI replacing their jobs, Sankar advised experimenting with the emerging technology. He urged workers to identify the “deadweight loss” in their daily routines — the administrative tasks that hinder their workflow.
“Think about the work that you’re doing and perhaps more importantly, think about the work you’re unable to do because the bureaucracy or the processes in your company prevent you from getting started,” he advised. “Those are the opportunities for AI.”
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“Think about AI as an Iron Man suit that you can wear that makes you more powerful rather than something that’s going to replace your unique gifts,” he added.
He pointed to healthcare as an example. In intensive care units, nurses often spend significant time “munching the data” or managing shift handovers. By automating these administrative burdens, nurses can spend more time at the patient’s bedside.
Artificial intelligence will transform the global workforce by 2050, according to research from PwC, McKinsey and the World Economic Forum, Forbes reported.
Estimates suggest that up to 60% of current jobs will require significant adaptation due to AI as it becomes an integral part of the workplace.
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Sankar concluded that the future of the technology must be shaped by those on the frontlines.
“It is the worker’s opinion of AI that really is the one that matters,” he said. “How are we going to use it? How does it change their business?“
“Those decisions need to be in service of the American worker, informed by the American workers, and then we’ll win,” he added.
