For our readers, this warning sounds very familiar; we've been highlighting the same "jobpocalypse" scenario for years, including in our March 2023 report, "AI Will Lead to 300 Million Layoffs in the U.S. and Europe."

"This will shake society to its core," Deli told the audience at the state-backed industry conference last Friday.

He urged AI companies to act as "whistleblowers," warning the public about the massive labor disruptions ahead.

Deli described the current period as a "honeymoon phase", a brief window where AI enhances productivity without replacing too many workers, but cautioned that once it ends, mass job losses will begin to accelerate.

He added, "Tech companies should play the role of guardians of humanity, at the very least, protecting human safety, then helping to reshape societal order."

DeepSeek's labor market warning comes amid worsening youth unemployment and a lackluster post-pandemic economic recovery in China. Official figures show youth unemployment peaked at 21.3% in mid-2023 before authorities halted publication of the data.

Founded in 2023, DeepSeek jolted the stock market earlier this year, especially AI US stocks, after unveiling a low-cost model that is at a fraction of the cost of ChatGPT's o1.

In the U.S., the latest Challenger, Gray & Christmas jobs data showed that AI-related job losses have already begun.