Chris Hyams doesn’t believe AI is coming for your job. But he does think it’s going to change how you work—whether you’re ready or not.
In a recent interview, the Indeed CEO offered a measured take on artificial intelligence’s impact on employment. While many executives and commentators have warned of a job-stealing future, Hyams emphasized a different point: AI won’t replace workers. But workers who don’t learn how to use AI might find themselves left behind.
This isn’t just speculation. Indeed, one of the largest job search engines in the world, has already seen AI quietly reshaping what employers are looking for—and what job seekers expect.
The big shift: skills, not titles
“We’re not seeing a drop in job openings because of AI,” Hyams said. “But we’re seeing a shift in the skills required.”
According to Indeed’s internal data, demand for AI literacy is rising fast. Employers are no longer just listing experience in Excel or Photoshop—they’re asking for prompt engineering, familiarity with ChatGPT, and fluency in generative AI tools.
What matters now, Hyams argues, is how fast workers can adapt to the new toolkits being introduced across industries—from marketing to customer service, HR to legal.
“AI is going to touch every job,” he added. “But most of those jobs won’t disappear. They’ll just evolve.”
Quiet transformation, not mass layoffs
That view stands in stark contrast to the tech-world doomsaying of the past two years. As OpenAI, Google, Meta, and others race to push out smarter models, headlines have declared the beginning of mass automation.
But Hyams, who’s spent nearly two decades watching how tech affects the labor market, believes the reality is more subtle.
“What’s happening is a redefinition of work,” he said. “When we brought computers into offices, people weren’t laid off—they just learned Word and Excel.”
In the same way, AI isn’t about replacing entire roles but accelerating parts of them: writing faster, coding smarter, analyzing data more quickly. “It’s an amplifier,” Hyams said.
The hybrid future of job hunting
Interestingly, Hyams also sees AI transforming the job search process itself. Indeed has already begun embedding AI in how it matches candidates to roles, writes job descriptions, and personalizes listings.
“We’re focused on helping people get jobs, not replacing recruiters,” he said. “But AI can make the whole experience more human.”
Indeed has invested heavily in AI products that rewrite job postings in simpler language, flag unclear employer demands, and summarize long job descriptions to save applicants time. Hyams believes this will be key to reducing bias, improving accessibility, and making hiring more equitable.
But, he warns, AI is not a silver bullet.
“There are still risks,” Hyams admitted. “Bad data, biased models—those are real problems. But if we’re careful and thoughtful, AI can make the job market fairer, not more unequal.”
What this means for workers
So what’s the takeaway?
If you’re a professional in 2025, Hyams’ message is clear: start treating AI the way you’d treat any workplace tool. You don’t have to become an engineer—but you do need to understand how it fits into your role.
And more importantly, start thinking about work in terms of skills, not just titles. Whether you’re in customer support, healthcare, or logistics, the people who will thrive in the age of AI are those who adapt and integrate—not those who resist change.
“The robots aren’t coming for your job,” Hyams said. “But someone who knows how to use AI probably is.”
