A recent study by venture capital firm Index Ventures, which surveyed 600 European technology startups, revealed that the majority do not believe the adoption of AI tools will lead to job losses.
Half of the companies surveyed view investing in AI as an opportunity to hire more employees, while an additional 29% expect to maintain their current workforce levels.
While some startups acknowledge that some roles in software development, marketing, and customer service may be reduced, they expect hiring to increase in software engineering and in developing new products and services. This optimistic outlook is consistent with her experience working with high-growth companies, noted Hannah Sell, a partner at Index Ventures. She explained that artificial intelligence tools enhance employee productivity rather than replace roles. For example, using AI assistants like GitHub’s Copilot can increase the efficiency of engineers, allowing companies to reallocate resources to build more and better products without laying off employees.
The study also found that most employees are proactively teaching themselves how to use AI tools, devoting an average of four hours per week to learning new technologies. Only 29% received employer-initiated training. Employees skilled in AI-related fields already earn, on average, 10% more than their peers, indicating the value placed on these competencies.
Sell stressed that some AI-powered services address labor shortages in certain industries, thus supporting existing roles. She cited DataSnipper, a Dutch startup that develops software for auditors, as an example. By automating the manual reconciliation of data – an aspect of the job often considered arduous – AI allows auditors to focus more on advisory work for clients, making the profession more attractive to graduates and helping to attract new talent to the field.
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