News/Future of Work
Hollywood execs train for jobs that don’t exist as AI upends film industry in new “talkies” moment
Hollywood executives and industry professionals are training for jobs that don't yet exist as artificial intelligence reshapes the entertainment landscape, according to discussions at recent industry conferences. The uncertainty reflects broader challenges facing an industry still recovering from COVID-19, strikes, and the ongoing transformation of traditional film and television models. What industry leaders are saying: Executives acknowledge the unpredictable nature of AI's impact while drawing parallels to past technological disruptions. "We are now training for jobs that do not yet exist," said Bruce Markoe, IMAX's head of post and image capture, speaking at Runway's AI Film Festival on June 12....
read Jun 17, 2025Study: AI identifies 6 ways technology undermines workplace relationships
A recent thought experiment using artificial intelligence has revealed something unsettling about modern society: the very mechanisms designed to connect us may be systematically undermining human relationships. When researchers prompted AI systems to describe how they would destroy human connection, the responses read like a blueprint for contemporary life. The experiment, which involved asking AI to outline strategies for ending meaningful relationships, produced a disturbingly familiar list of tactics that mirror many aspects of modern digital culture. The results offer a stark lens through which to examine whether our increasingly connected world is actually making us more isolated than ever....
read Jun 16, 2025AI is reshaping IT roles, not eliminating them—here’s what’s changing
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how IT departments operate, but the transformation isn't playing out as many expected. Rather than wholesale job displacement, organizations are discovering that AI functions more like a sophisticated amplifier—handling routine tasks while elevating human expertise to focus on strategy, security, and innovation. This shift is creating both opportunities and anxiety within IT teams. According to JumpCloud's Q1 2025 IT Trends Report, 37% of IT administrators express concern that AI could eventually eliminate their positions. However, the reality emerging across organizations suggests a more nuanced evolution: IT roles are changing, not disappearing. The challenge for IT...
read Jun 16, 2025Nice while it lasted: Workers share how AI automation eliminated their $70K-$150K jobs
Workers across multiple industries are losing their jobs to artificial intelligence automation, with personal accounts revealing the immediate human impact of AI displacement. The layoffs span from HR professionals to software engineers, highlighting how AI is already reshaping the job market faster than many anticipated. What you should know: Recent layoffs demonstrate AI's growing capability to replace white-collar workers, particularly those whose work is primarily computer-based. Jane, a Bay Area HR professional earning $70,000 annually, was laid off in January after two years managing benefits when her boss automated her role away. Software engineer Shawn K, who made $150,000 after...
read Jun 16, 2025AI is pushing leaders to embrace hybrid intelligence over AI-only optimization
Artificial intelligence is forcing leaders to rediscover the humanistic elements of leadership that have been overshadowed by decades of optimization-focused management, according to a new analysis of how AI is reshaping organizational priorities. Rather than replacing human capabilities, AI's advancement is creating an opportunity for leaders to embrace "hybrid intelligence"—the strategic combination of human wisdom and artificial capabilities that amplifies both performance and meaning. The big picture: Modern organizations have fallen into an "optimization trap" where quantifiable metrics dominate decision-making while humanistic elements like trust, creativity, and empathy are relegated to the background. • Stanford's 2024 AI Index Report shows...
read Jun 16, 2025Nvidia CEO slams Anthropic’s dire, self-interested AI job loss predictions
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has publicly criticized Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's recent predictions that AI will eliminate 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs and drive unemployment to 20% within five years. The dispute highlights a fundamental divide within the AI industry between those advocating for cautious, controlled development and those pushing for open, accelerated innovation. What they're saying: Huang delivered sharp criticism of Amodei's approach during VivaTech in Paris, targeting both his predictions and his company's philosophy. "One, he believes that AI is so scary that only they [Anthropic] should do it. Two, that AI is so expensive, nobody else should...
read Jun 16, 2025Trump urged to tax companies replacing workers with AI systems
Columnist John Mac Ghlionn argues that President Trump must take immediate action to prevent AI from causing mass unemployment across white-collar sectors, warning that millions of entry-level and mid-level jobs are already being eliminated. The core argument: AI is already displacing American workers across multiple sectors, from entry-level positions to mid-level roles in coding, legal services, and customer support. The author argues this isn't a future threat but a current reality, with companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google openly acknowledging AI's capacity to eliminate entire job categories. Young Americans, middle-class parents, and veterans are identified as the most vulnerable populations...
read Jun 13, 2025AI will handle 95% of marketing tasks but human creative augmentation is here to stay
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently predicted that artificial intelligence will handle 95% of marketing tasks, prompting industry leaders to grapple with how human creativity can survive AI's rapid integration into advertising. This shift represents advertising's most dramatic transformation, with agencies and brands now racing to harness AI's capabilities while preserving the emotional intelligence and cultural nuance that make campaigns memorable. What industry leaders are saying: Executives emphasize that combining AI with human creativity, rather than resisting it, is essential for survival in the evolving landscape. "To resist AI to save your job is the surest way of losing it," said...
read Jun 12, 2025AI startup Moments Lab bypasses data wranglers and interns, raises $24M to automate film editing
Moments Lab, a French AI video startup, has raised $24 million in Series B funding to develop AI tools that automate film editing and production workflows. The company's technology threatens to eliminate entry-level creative jobs while prioritizing revenue generation over artistic integrity, reflecting broader concerns about AI's impact on the entertainment industry. What you should know: Moments Lab's core product, MXT-2, functions as an AI film librarian that automatically categorizes footage by subject, actor, and location—tasks traditionally performed by data wranglers and assistant editors. The company has raised over $37 million total, with the latest funding aimed at developing an...
read Jun 12, 2025Sam Altman predicts AI will transform human productivity by 2030
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared in a June 10 blog post that artificial intelligence has already passed "the event horizon" and that humanity is close to building digital superintelligence, describing the transition as a "gentle singularity." His optimistic vision suggests AI will drive unprecedented scientific progress and productivity gains, with individuals capable of accomplishing far more by 2030 than they could in 2020, though his claims have sparked significant debate within the AI community about both the timeline and risks of advanced AI. What he's saying: Altman's blog post "The Gentle Singularity" contains several bold predictions about AI's imminent transformation...
read Jun 11, 2025White House AI czar dismisses warnings of 20% AI-driven unemployment
White House AI czar David Sacks pushed back against warnings that artificial intelligence could trigger mass unemployment, dismissing what he called a "doomer cult" that overestimates AI's job displacement potential. His comments directly counter recent predictions from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who warned that AI could eliminate up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years and drive unemployment as high as 20%. What they're saying: Sacks argued that AI will augment rather than entirely replace human workers, speaking at the Amazon Web Services summit in Washington, DC. "Personally, I don't think it's going to lead to a giant...
read Jun 11, 2025PE billionaire predicts 60% of investor jobs will be lost to AI, despite agentic struggles
Private equity billionaire Robert Smith told a crowd of 5,500 investors at the SuperReturn conference in Berlin that 60 percent of them will be jobless within a year due to AI automation. Smith's stark prediction comes despite mounting evidence that AI agents remain largely ineffective at complex tasks, with nearly 75 percent of businesses failing to deliver promised returns on their AI investments. What he's saying: Smith, who runs Vista Equity Partners, painted a dramatic picture of AI's impact on knowledge workers during his presentation. "We think that next year, 40 percent of the people at this conference will have...
read Jun 10, 2025SAG-AFTRA secures AI guardrails in tentative video game contract deal
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), Hollywood's union for video game performers, has reached a tentative contract agreement with major video game companies that could end an 11-month strike over artificial intelligence protections. The strike, which began in July 2024, centered on performers' concerns that unregulated AI could be used to replicate their voices and likenesses without consent, potentially displacing human talent in the gaming industry. What you should know: The tentative deal includes AI guardrails that SAG-AFTRA says will protect performers' livelihoods in the digital age. Union members struck against major gaming companies including...
read Jun 10, 2025Sony’s AI system replaces all human line judges at Wimbledon 2025
Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations will replace human line judges at Wimbledon 2025, marking the first time the prestigious tennis championship will rely entirely on AI-powered electronic line calling. The move represents a significant milestone for sports automation, with Sony's subsidiary using 12 courtside cameras and artificial intelligence to track ball trajectories and make in-or-out calls across the tournament. What you should know: Wimbledon will eliminate traditional human line judges for the 2025 championship, starting June 30. Sony Group Corp.'s subsidiary Hawk-Eye Innovations will provide the electronic line calling system using AI technology to determine whether balls land in or out. The...
read Jun 10, 2025AI risks deepening worker alienation not unlike how Marx predicted
A new psychological analysis argues that artificial intelligence risks deepening worker alienation in ways that mirror Karl Marx's 19th-century warnings about industrialization. The research, published in Psychology Today by Dr. Nigel R. Bairstow, suggests that as AI automates more workplace tasks, employees may lose control, creativity, and connection to their work—potentially creating the same emotional detachment Marx observed during the Industrial Revolution. What you should know: Marx identified four key types of worker alienation that remain relevant as AI reshapes modern workplaces. Workers become disconnected from the products they create, the production processes they participate in, their own human potential,...
read Jun 9, 2025Duolingo CEO surprised by backlash over AI replacing human contractors boast
Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn expressed surprise at the intense backlash he received after publicly boasting about replacing human contractors with AI earlier this year. The controversy highlights growing consumer resistance to AI automation in the workplace, forcing the language-learning company's leadership into damage control mode as users threatened to abandon the platform en masse. What happened: Von Ahn initially embraced AI replacement with enthusiasm, stating that Duolingo would "gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle" and that the company would "rather move with urgency and take occasional small hits on quality than move slowly and...
read Jun 9, 2025AI as Second Language (AISL): Ohio State requires AI fluency for all students by 2029
Ohio State University has announced that every student will be required to use artificial intelligence in their coursework starting this fall, making it the first public university in Ohio to officially integrate AI fluency across all majors. The AI Fluency Initiative aims to make graduates "bilingual" in their field of study and AI applications, with the university committing that all graduates from 2029 onward will be fluent in AI within their discipline. What you should know: The program will embed AI education throughout the undergraduate curriculum, prioritizing incoming freshmen while working with existing courses and frameworks. Students will be required...
read Jun 6, 2025Blue, white and chrome all over: Smart humanoid robots threaten both blue and white-collar jobs
AI expert Lance Eliot warns that the combination of artificial general intelligence (AGI) with humanoid robots will create a "double-whammy" effect, eliminating both white-collar and blue-collar jobs simultaneously. While current discussions focus primarily on AGI threatening intellectual work, Eliot argues this perspective misses the broader threat when AGI-powered humanoid robots can perform physical tasks traditionally considered safe from automation. The big picture: Current job displacement fears center on AGI replacing white-collar workers due to its intellectual capabilities, leading many to recommend blue-collar work as a safe alternative. AGI is defined as AI that matches human intellect, while artificial superintelligence (ASI)...
read Jun 6, 2025Input parsing, edge case management and more: 5 new kinds of jobs AI will create
While much of today's AI discussion focuses on jobs that artificial intelligence will eliminate, this narrow view misses a crucial reality: AI's development will create entirely new categories of human work that didn't previously exist. Rather than making technology less human, AI's evolution will likely demand more human insight, creativity, and judgment than ever before. The most significant opportunities won't come from competing with AI, but from working alongside it in ways that leverage uniquely human capabilities. Here are five emerging areas where human expertise will become increasingly valuable as AI systems become more sophisticated. 1. Input parsing and data...
read Jun 5, 2025Lose ’em and use it: IT workers replaced by AI as boards pressure CEOs
The wave of tech layoffs is reshaping the IT workforce landscape as companies increasingly replace human workers with AI. Over 314,000 tech jobs have been eliminated since 2024, with corporate leaders under pressure to cut workforce costs by 20% while implementing AI solutions. This trend represents not just temporary cost-cutting but a fundamental restructuring of the digital labor economy, creating winners and losers in the rapidly evolving job market. The big picture: Corporate boards are pushing CEOs to slash workforce costs by 20%, expecting AI to handle the eliminated positions while preparing for a possible recession. Camille Fetter, CEO at...
read Jun 4, 2025Vibe coding shifts power dynamics in Silicon Valley
"Vibe coding" is transforming Silicon Valley's power dynamics by enabling founders to build software without writing code themselves. As artificial intelligence increasingly handles programming tasks, the tech industry is shifting from valuing technical coding skills to prioritizing creative vision and ideas. This democratization of software development is creating new pathways to startup success while challenging traditional notions of technical expertise and potentially reshaping the entire ecosystem of tech innovation. The big picture: AI-powered "vibe coding" is revolutionizing how startups are built, with founders like Leo Paz using large language models to develop applications while having minimal personal coding involvement. Paz,...
read Jun 4, 2025Top researchers push back on Big Tech, alleged AI hype in new book
The fight against AI hype is gaining academic momentum, as prominent researchers Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna release their new book challenging Big Tech's narrative around artificial intelligence. Their work, "The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want," expands on their popular podcast "Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000" to provide a comprehensive critique of the exaggerated promises and potential harms of current AI development trajectories. Their analysis arrives at a crucial moment when organizations are struggling to separate genuine AI capabilities from marketing hyperbole and determine responsible implementation paths. The big picture:...
read Jun 2, 2025How businesses aid and augment workers with new tech
AI is augmenting rather than replacing human workers, with new research showing both the need for human skills alongside AI adoption and the emergence of collaborative relationships between workers and technology. Workday's experience exemplifies this trend, where AI tools have significantly increased productivity without leading to workforce reductions, highlighting a growing recognition that human capabilities like emotional intelligence, teamwork, and critical thinking remain essential in an AI-enhanced workplace. The big picture: While AI accelerates and enhances routine tasks, research indicates humans maintain crucial advantages in essential people-oriented and conceptual skills that technology cannot replicate. Nearly 60% of Workday's 20,000 employees...
read May 28, 2025AI courses from Google, Microsoft and more boost skills and résumés for free
The race for AI skills is transforming the job market as executives increasingly rely on artificial intelligence for critical business decisions. With 74% of executives trusting AI advice more than family and friends, and 55% working at organizations where AI has already replaced traditional decision-making processes, employers now expect baseline AI literacy from virtually all employees. For professionals looking to quickly enhance their résumés with in-demand AI skills, these seven free courses offer efficient, credential-building opportunities that can be completed in as little as a weekend. 1. AI For Everyone (Coursera) This 4-hour course created by AI pioneer Andrew Ng...
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