News/Future of Work
No new tale to tell? Yale study fails to find AI job disruption 33 months after ChatGPT
A new Yale University study finds that generative AI has not yet caused significant disruption to the US labor market, despite widespread fears about job displacement since ChatGPT's launch in 2022. The research challenges concerns that AI automation would rapidly erode demand for cognitive work, though researchers caution that AI adoption remains in its early stages and future impacts could still emerge. What you should know: The study measured changes in worker distribution across all jobs since ChatGPT's public release 33 months ago to test claims about AI's workforce impact. Researchers found no discernible disruption in the broader labor market,...
read Oct 1, 2025AI scores 64% on $500K knowledge work benchmark, implicating law, medicine and more
Mercor, an AI data company, has released the AI Productivity Index (APEX), a comprehensive benchmark that tests whether AI models can perform high-value knowledge work across law, medicine, finance, and management consulting. The benchmark represents a paradigm shift from abstract AI testing to directly measuring models' ability to complete economically valuable tasks that professionals typically handle. What you should know: APEX consists of 200 carefully designed tasks created by experienced professionals from top-tier firms, with input from former McKinsey executives, Harvard Business School leadership, and Harvard Law professors. Tasks include diagnosing patients based on multimedia evidence, providing legal advice on...
read Oct 1, 2025“Disquiet on the set!” Italian producer unveils first AI-directed feature film amid industry pushback
Italian producer Andrea Iervolino has unveiled The Sweet Idleness, what he claims is the first feature film directed by an artificial intelligence system called FellinAI. The project arrives amid intensifying industry debate over AI's role in filmmaking, particularly following recent controversy surrounding AI actress Tilly Norwood's potential talent agency representation. What you should know: FellinAI operates as a virtual director designed to "celebrate the poetic and dreamlike language of great European cinema." The AI system is housed at Andrea Iervolino Company AI, with Iervolino serving as the "human-in-the-loop" supervisor and producer who guides and monitors the technology. The Sweet Idleness...
read Sep 30, 2025AI creates frontier careers in security, health and science even as it eliminates traditional jobs
The chief executive of Anthropic, Claude's creator, recently warned that artificial intelligence could automate nearly half of today's work tasks within five years. Meanwhile, J.P. Morgan analysts have raised concerns about a potential "jobless recovery" driven by AI's impact on white-collar positions. These predictions paint a sobering picture of widespread job displacement across industries. However, focusing solely on job losses misses a crucial part of the story. While AI eliminates certain roles, it simultaneously creates entirely new categories of work—what could be called "frontier careers" of the AI era. These emerging fields represent areas where AI advancement generates fresh business...
read Sep 30, 2025Study finds AI ads perform equally to human-made campaigns, with no audience pushback
Advertising creatives are increasingly embracing AI-generated content in campaigns, marking a dramatic shift from previous resistance to the technology. A new Kantar study found that AI-involved ads perform just as effectively as traditional advertisements, with audiences showing little negative reaction to AI-generated visuals in TV, digital, and social campaigns. The big picture: The advertising industry has undergone a complete reversal in AI adoption, moving from cautious experimentation to full client demand in just one year. "We have seen a shift in client openness to fully AI developed campaigns," said Christian Pierre, global chief intelligence officer at Gut, a creative agency....
read Sep 30, 2025Samsung goes silver-collar with robots for shipyard welding amid labor shortages
Samsung Heavy Industries has successfully tested Diden Robotics' quadrupedal welding robot at its shipyard, marking a significant milestone in automating South Korea's labor-intensive shipbuilding industry. The trials validate the potential for widespread deployment of walking robots that can navigate complex ship structures using magnetic feet and autonomous systems, with commercial rollouts planned for 2026. What you should know: The Diden 30 robot demonstrated its ability to perform welding tasks on actual ship blocks under construction, proving its readiness for real industrial applications. The quadrupedal robot uses magnetic feet to traverse steel walls and ceilings, successfully crossing shipyard structures like longitudinal...
read Sep 30, 2025Amazon’s $25K donation launches 3 new robotics clubs in South Dakota
Amazon has donated $25,000 to the Black Hills Robotics Foundation to establish three new robotics clubs in South Dakota. The funding will also support existing clubs with equipment and travel expenses, expanding robotics education opportunities for middle school students in the region. What you should know: The donation will directly fund three new robotics clubs while providing additional support for existing programs in the Black Hills area. The Black Hills Robotics Foundation will determine which three proposed clubs receive funding to launch their programs. Additional money will go toward purchasing new equipment and covering travel fees for existing robotics clubs...
read Sep 29, 2025“Reverse brain drain” sees 85 US scientists leave for China
At least 85 scientists have left US research institutions to join Chinese universities full-time since early 2024, with more than half making the move in 2025 alone. This "reverse brain drain" threatens America's historic dominance in attracting top global talent—a cornerstone of its post-WWII leadership in science and technology—while potentially accelerating China's rise in critical fields like AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology. The big picture: China is capitalizing on US policy changes that create uncertainty for foreign researchers, particularly those with Chinese heritage, while simultaneously ramping up its own recruitment efforts and research investments. Chinese universities view Trump administration policies...
read Sep 29, 2025NY’s Alfred State gets $474K NSF grant for robotics technician training
Alfred State has been awarded a $474,019 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop educational pathways for robotics and automation technicians in agricultural and industrial sectors. The funding addresses the growing demand for skilled technicians in automation—a critical need for maintaining food security and supporting manufacturing workforces in rural areas. What you should know: The Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant will fund a comprehensive program designed to prepare students for high-paying automation careers through innovative educational strategies. Assistant Professors Jessica Hutchison and Dr. Mohamed Eleshaky are leading the project titled "Developing a Robotics and Automation Technician Pathway for the...
read Sep 29, 2025AI in the sky: Lufthansa to cut 4,000 jobs by 2030 using while expanding fleet
Lufthansa Group announced Monday it will eliminate 4,000 jobs by 2030 through artificial intelligence implementation, digitalization, and operational consolidation across its member airlines. The German aviation giant is leveraging AI to streamline administrative functions while simultaneously planning its largest fleet expansion in company history, targeting significantly increased profitability amid strong travel demand and constrained aircraft supply. What you should know: The job cuts will primarily affect administrative roles in Germany rather than operational positions, as Lufthansa integrates operations across its airline portfolio.• Most eliminated positions will result from removing duplicated work across Lufthansa's member airlines, which include Austrian Airlines, Swiss,...
read Sep 26, 2025Sam Altman will be “very surprised” if AI doesn’t surpass humans by 2030
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman predicts artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence by 2030, with models capable of making scientific discoveries that humans cannot achieve independently. Speaking at the Axel Springer Award ceremony in Berlin, Altman outlined his vision for AI's rapid trajectory and OpenAI's plans to develop a "family of devices" that could fundamentally reshape how people interact with computers. Timeline for superintelligence: Altman expects AI models to demonstrate extraordinary capabilities well before the decade's end. "By the end of this decade, by 2030, if we don't have extraordinarily capable models that do things that we ourselves cannot do, I'd...
read Sep 26, 2025Buttress, not butt out? Survey finds 83% of business leaders see AI as employee support, not replacement
Only 11% of business executives expect AI adoption to trigger significant job cuts in their organizations, according to a new survey from Creatio, a customer relationship management platform. The findings contrast sharply with predictions from tech leaders like Dario Amodei, CEO of AI company Anthropic, who has suggested AI could eliminate half of all white-collar jobs within five years, highlighting a disconnect between current business sentiment and long-term AI impact forecasts. What you should know: The vast majority of business leaders view AI as a tool for employee support rather than replacement. 83% of executives surveyed said AI systems and...
read Sep 26, 2025San Diego State launches first AI ethics degree in California system
San Diego State University has launched the first Bachelor of Science degree in Artificial Intelligence and Human Responsibility within the California State University system. This groundbreaking program addresses the growing need for AI professionals who understand both technical capabilities and ethical implications as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into society. What you should know: The degree represents a pioneering approach to AI education by explicitly combining technical training with ethical responsibility. San Diego State is the first university in the CSU system to offer this specific type of AI degree program. The program's focus on "human responsibility" suggests curriculum designed...
read Sep 26, 2025Accenture lays off workers who can’t adapt to AI. (Or, be the change you may not wish to see in the world.)
Accenture, a global consulting firm, plans to lay off employees who cannot be reskilled on artificial intelligence as part of a broader restructuring strategy that prioritizes AI capabilities. The company's CEO Julie Sweet announced the "compression timeline" approach during a Thursday earnings call, emphasizing that advanced AI is becoming "a part of everything we do" and requiring workers to "retrain and retool" at scale. What you should know: Accenture has already reskilled 550,000 workers on generative AI fundamentals while simultaneously cutting staff who cannot adapt to AI-focused roles. The company outlined an $865 million business optimization program covering severance costs...
read Sep 25, 2025Pennsylvania state rep seeks ban on AI primary teachers following pro-AI charter school rejection
Pennsylvania State Rep. Nikki Rivera has introduced legislation to ban charter schools from using artificial intelligence as the primary instructor, requiring certified human teachers instead. The bill follows the state Department of Education's rejection of Unbound Academy's charter application, which proposed AI-driven instruction with human "guides," highlighting growing concerns about AI replacing traditional teaching methods. What you should know: Rivera's proposed legislation would deny AI-powered charter and cyber charter applications as a safeguard against unproven instructional practices. The bill aims to prevent taxpayer dollars from being redirected "from those manipulating the law for their own profit at the expense of...
read Sep 24, 202540% of workers receive AI-generated “workslop” that takes hours to fix
A new study reveals that workers are increasingly using AI to produce "workslop"—low-quality, AI-generated work that appears legitimate but lacks substance and requires others to fix or redo it. Research from BetterUp Labs, a coaching and development platform, and Stanford Social Media Lab found that 40% of 1,150 surveyed employees received workslop in the past month, with recipients spending nearly two hours cleaning up the mess. What you should know: Workslop represents a fundamental shift in workplace dynamics, where AI tools enable workers to offload cognitive work to their colleagues rather than genuinely improving productivity. The researchers define workslop as...
read Sep 24, 2025Companies hire – and rehire – humans to fix AI-generated content flooding the internet
A new irony has emerged in the AI age: while artificial intelligence eliminates millions of jobs, it simultaneously creates hundreds of thousands of new roles for humans whose sole purpose is cleaning up the low-quality content AI generates. This "AI slop"—ranging from glitchy videos to factually incorrect articles—is flooding the internet, forcing companies to hire human specialists to fix what AI creates poorly, often employing the same people who would have originally created the content before AI undercut their roles. What you should know: AI slop represents the industrialized production of low-quality, AI-generated content that mimics legitimate material but lacks...
read Sep 23, 2025From Harvard to Hacker: Post-romantic, youthful AI founders are upending San Francisco
A new wave of brilliant, workaholic teenagers is flooding San Francisco, transforming vacant hotels into hacker houses and basement labs into brain-scanning operations as they race to build AI startups. This gold-rush mentality among Gen Z founders represents a fundamental shift in Silicon Valley's ecosystem, where 18-to-28-year-olds are raising millions pre-product while casually discussing humanity's potential extinction—what they call P(doom)—with the same nonchalance previous generations reserved for discussing the weather. The big picture: San Francisco's latest tech boom is being driven by exceptionally young founders who view traditional career paths as outdated and are willing to bet everything on AI...
read Sep 23, 2025AI to replace half of white-collar jobs as blue-collar opportunities ignored, Ford CEO warns
Ford CEO Jim Farley is warning that artificial intelligence will eliminate up to half of all white-collar jobs in America within the next decade, while the country simultaneously faces critical shortages in blue-collar and skilled trade positions. His call to action highlights a fundamental mismatch between where the economy is heading and where educational priorities currently focus, as entry-level white-collar positions disappear while hundreds of thousands of manufacturing and construction jobs remain unfilled. The big picture: Farley describes America as ignoring its "essential economy"—the sectors that get things "moved, built, or fixed"—while overemphasizing four-year college education and tech careers that...
read Sep 23, 2025AI subtitles for the hard of hearing increase workload for humans while driving down wages
Human subtitlers who create captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers are facing an existential threat as artificial intelligence increasingly automates their specialized craft. Despite industry assumptions that AI will streamline subtitle production, professional subtitlers report that current AI tools actually increase their workload while driving down wages to unsustainable levels. What you should know: Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) require far more nuanced decision-making than simple transcription, involving creative interpretation of sounds, emotions, and narrative context. Max Deryagin, chair of Subtle, a non-profit association of freelance subtitlers, emphasizes that "SDH is an art, and people in...
read Sep 23, 2025AI usage among tech workers jumps from 14% to 90%, Google study reveals
Google's research arm has found that 90% of technology workers are now using artificial intelligence in their daily work, representing a dramatic surge from just 14% last year. The findings underscore how rapidly AI tools have become integral to software development, even as questions persist about their reliability and impact on entry-level employment in the tech sector. What you should know: The study surveyed 5,000 technology professionals globally and reveals the scale of AI adoption in coding and development work. Google's DORA research division conducted the survey, showing AI usage jumped from 14% to 90% year-over-year among tech workers. Workers...
read Sep 22, 2025“AIT”? CIOs predict 18% IT workforce cuts as AI reshapes hiring needs
CIOs predict an 18% reduction in their IT workforces within the next two years, driven by automation, AI adoption, and shifting sourcing strategies toward contractors and third-party firms. This workforce contraction reflects a broader transformation in how organizations approach IT talent management, balancing cost pressures with the need for AI-enabled skills while potentially sacrificing institutional knowledge. What you should know: The Harvey Nash survey of 2,015 technology leaders across 62 countries reveals significant changes in IT hiring priorities and workforce expectations. Digital leaders believe hiring needs for existing tech positions will reduce by 18% over two years, with 18% of...
read Sep 22, 2025Virginia Tech swaps human readers with AI for college admissions amid 10% surge
Virginia Tech has begun using artificial intelligence to help evaluate admissions applications for the fall 2026 cycle, replacing one of the two human readers in its review process. The change comes after the university experienced a 10.2% surge in applications from fall 2024 to fall 2025, prompting administrators to seek ways to accelerate decision-making while maintaining evaluation quality. What you should know: The AI system now handles essay reviews that were previously conducted entirely by human admissions officers. Previously, two human readers evaluated applications on a 12-point scale, requiring a third reviewer only if scores differed by four points or...
read Sep 19, 2025Therapists claim feelings of falling short in the face of AI competition
New and aspiring therapists are experiencing feelings of inadequacy when comparing themselves to AI therapy tools, which can appear more knowledgeable and accessible than human practitioners. This psychological challenge is particularly acute for those just starting their mental health careers, as they witness AI systems like ChatGPT—used by millions for mental health guidance—providing seemingly sophisticated therapeutic advice 24/7 at little to no cost. What you should know: The comparison between human therapists and AI isn't entirely fair, as each offers distinct advantages in mental health care.• Generic AI models like ChatGPT provide mental health advice as a secondary function alongside...
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