Artificial intelligence (AI) may be transforming the workplace faster than any technology before it, but Google and Alphabet chief executive officer Sundar Pichai believes its greatest value lies not in replacing people but in helping them work at a higher level.

Speaking to Decoder host Nilay Patel after Google I/O 2026, Pichai rejected the notion that AI will simply eliminate human roles, arguing instead that it should remove repetitive work so people can focus on more meaningful decisions.

“I think these tools are going to allow us to operate at the next level in everything we are doing,” Pichai said. “You will start from a higher foundation.”

The remarks come as businesses worldwide race to adopt generative AI while employees increasingly question what the technology means for their careers.

Pichai acknowledged those fears instead of dismissing them.

“People are standing and telling about how AI could make a lot of jobs go away,” he said. “Why wouldn’t you feel a sense of anxiety about it? Those are deeper issues which we have to tackle as a society.”

Rather than viewing AI as a replacement for leadership, Pichai described it as an assistant capable of improving decision-making, planning and productivity.

He likened today’s AI revolution to the arrival of spreadsheets decades ago, arguing that technology historically changes how people work instead of eliminating the need for human judgment altogether. Future AI agents, he said, could handle routine tasks such as scheduling, research and logistics, allowing people to spend more time on creative thinking and complex problem-solving.

That philosophy reflects Google’s broader transformation over the past three years. Following the emergence of ChatGPT, Pichai reorganized the company by combining its AI research divisions into Google DeepMind and centralizing AI infrastructure to accelerate product development across Search, YouTube, Cloud and Android.

For Pichai, however, technological progress also carries responsibility.

He warned that concerns surrounding misinformation, deepfakes, energy consumption and workforce disruption cannot be ignored, saying governments, technology companies and the public must work together as AI becomes more capable.