Bill Gates predicts a three-day week thanks to AI, a tantalizing but unrealistic prospect for most businesses. The lack of financial resources, particularly in Spain, constitutes a major obstacle to this technological and economic transition. Integrating AI requires colossal investments, beyond the reach of many SMEs.
Bill Gates’ enthusiasm for a three-day week
Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, sees the future of work in a week of just three days. A tempting prospect, propelled by the promises of artificial intelligence (AI) in terms of productivity. However, this futuristic vision faces a major obstacle: the glaring lack of financial resources for most companies, particularly in Spain.
Gates’ enthusiasm for a three-day week is not new. He expressed this during a recent interview, highlighting the revolutionary potential of AI to transform the world of work. Comparing its potential impact to that of the personal computer, he stressed that AI, like the PC, will not eliminate jobs, but will profoundly change them. This increase in efficiency, he said, would pave the way for a significant reduction in working hours without compromising overall productivity. He even mentions a future scenario where “machines will be able to produce all the food and other necessities,” making a three-day week feasible. The image is bold, but the argument rests on a fundamental assumption: widespread and effective adoption of AI.
Economic reality: a major obstacle to the transition
However, this idyllic vision clashes with economic reality, particularly in Spain. While AI promises a spectacular increase in productivity, its deployment requires considerable investment in research and development, training and infrastructure adaptation. However, a large part of Spanish companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), do not have the financial means to engage in such a transformation.
According to a recent study
almost 70% of Spanish companies consider the implementation of a four-day week impossible, an objective already less ambitious than that proposed by Bill Gates. The transition to a three-day week therefore appears to be an even more distant, even unrealistic, objective for the vast majority of companies. This alarming figure reflects the financial precariousness of many Spanish companies, often facing low profit margins and strong competition. The investment in AI, necessary to achieve the required level of productivity, represents too great a financial risk for them.
The weight of the Spanish economic structure
The problem is exacerbated by the very structure of the Spanish economic fabric. A high proportion of businesses are one-person micro-enterprises or very small SMEs, with extremely limited investment and personnel resources. Even if the political will is there, as shown by the agreement between the PSOE and Sumar for a gradual reduction of the working week to 35 hours, the feasibility of this project in the short term remains
seriously compromised by the financial constraints of companies
. The objective of 32 hours per week (4 days) by the next legislature already seems a colossal ambition for a large part of the private sector.
The integration of AI in companies also raises questions about the evolution of professions. Bill Gates himself talks about the disappearance of certain professions, replaced by automated systems. However, he emphasizes that this will allow the creation of new jobs, particularly in the supervision and management of AI systems. However, this transition will require significant investments in training and professional retraining, which adds an additional layer of complexity to the economic challenge.
In summary, the idea of a three-day week promoted by Bill Gates, although stimulating, comes up against an implacable economic reality for a large part of businesses. While AI promises a better future, the road to getting there is long and fraught with financial obstacles. The question is not so much whether this vision is possible, but rather when and how it can be realized, taking into account the needs and economic realities of businesses, particularly SMEs which constitute the pillar of the economic fabric of many countries. . A gradual and supported transition, including significant financial support for businesses, seems to be the only viable path to achieving this ambitious objective.
