AI will transform 'massive swaths' of the workplace, LinkedIn's co-founder says

Artificial intelligence is going to transform "massive swaths" of the workplace, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman said Thursday.

And its effects will be felt beyond sectors like manufacturing and energy, reaching into professional spheres like doctors, lawyers and financial analysts, he said.

"It could have very positive effects, but it has very dynamic effects. Yes, jobs will be going away. We've got to focus on entrepreneurship and creating new jobs," he said in an interview on CNBC's "Closing Bell."

Furthermore, the jobs that exist will require more sophisticated technology skills, Reid said.

He's not alone in predicting the rise of artificial intelligence transforming work and the economy.

The World Economic Forum projects more than 5 million jobs in 15 leading countries will be lost by 2020, thanks to disruptive labor market changes, including the increased use of robots. Additionally, according to a 2013 Oxford study, 47 percent of U.S. jobs were at risk of being automated in the next two decades.

Hoffman believes the U.S. needs to get an education system in place to train the next generation of workers.