Australian workers should "take a breath" and relax about the impact artificial intelligence will have on their careers as the jobs it displaces will ultimately be replaced with others.
Google Australia managing director Melanie Silva issued the advice at the QUT Business Leaders' Forum in Brisbane on Friday, where she compared AI technology to the arrival of electricity and the internet.
The tech executive called for more myth-busting conversations about the environmental and social impact of building data centres to fuel the AI boom, saying they could help spark renewable energy projects.
Her comments come after the federal government launched a Senate inquiry into the spread and regulation of data centres, and days after Sydney Water warned the developments could consume more water than beer breweries within a decade.
