News/Future of Work
The new NAFTA? US labor unions push state laws to restrict AI in workplaces
Today in Obvious: Labor unions across the United States are mobilizing to push state-level legislation that would restrict how artificial intelligence is deployed in workplaces, targeting everything from autonomous vehicles to AI-powered hiring decisions. This coordinated effort comes after federal attempts to regulate AI stalled, leaving states as the primary battleground for determining how workers will be protected from potential job displacement and algorithmic bias. The big picture: The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), a federation of 63 national and international labor unions, launched a national task force last month to work with state lawmakers...
read Aug 12, 2025Anything not healthcare in trouble? Economist warns AI will shatter white-collar jobs
Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi is warning that the U.S. economy may be on the verge of recession, citing widespread layoffs and dismal July jobs data that showed only 73,000 new positions created. His analysis suggests that AI-driven automation could make the next economic downturn particularly devastating for white-collar workers who previously considered their jobs recession-proof. What you should know: Recent employment data paints an increasingly bleak picture of the U.S. job market, with traditional "safe" roles experiencing unprecedented vulnerability. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported just 73,000 jobs created in July, well below the expected 106,000 and down...
read Aug 12, 202575% trust AI agents but only 30% accept taking orders from them
New research reveals a complex relationship between AI agents and workplace trust, with employees increasingly comfortable working alongside these systems but hesitant to grant them significant autonomy. A Workday survey of nearly 3,000 business leaders found that while 75% feel comfortable collaborating with AI agents, only 30% would accept taking orders from one, highlighting the delicate balance companies must strike as they integrate AI into daily operations. What you should know: Employee comfort with AI agents varies dramatically based on the level of control and oversight involved. Only 24% of respondents said they'd be comfortable with agents operating without direct...
read Aug 12, 2025AI transforms K-12 education as 2.5M teachers give into it, save hours weekly
AI is rapidly transforming K-12 education, with nearly a third of teachers now using the technology weekly and millions accessing specialized platforms like MagicSchool AI. This shift represents a fundamental change in how both students and educators approach learning, creating new opportunities for personalized instruction while raising concerns about academic integrity and over-reliance on artificial intelligence. What you should know: The current high school senior class represents the last generation to experience pre-ChatGPT education, having started freshman year just months before the chatbot's release. Students have evolved beyond simple copy-pasting, now using multiple AI models and asking chatbots to introduce...
read Aug 11, 2025UK freelance journalism income falls 66%, concentrates in London while AI poses new threats
Freelance journalists in the UK are earning 66% less than they did 15 years ago, with average annual earnings now at just £7,000, while facing new threats from generative AI that could further undermine their profession. A recent roundtable convened by the New Statesman and the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), a UK organization that collects licensing fees for writers, explored how to create sustainable futures for freelance journalism amid these mounting economic pressures and technological disruptions. The big picture: The journalism industry is experiencing a perfect storm of declining revenues, increased reliance on freelance labor, and emerging AI...
read Aug 8, 2025“Learn to AI”: California propels workforce training with tech giants across public education system
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced partnerships with Google, Microsoft, Adobe, and IBM to integrate AI training and tools across the state's community colleges and California State University system. The voluntary agreements aim to prepare students and educators for an AI-driven workforce while modernizing curricula and expanding access to generative AI technologies across California's public education system. What you should know: These memoranda of understanding formalize partnerships focused on workforce development, teacher training, and hands-on AI experience without any exchange of funds. Google is providing AI-focused training courses for students on effective prompting and for educators on using generative AI...
read Aug 8, 2025Developers now write documentation for AI tools, transforming tech writing
Developers are increasingly writing and structuring documentation specifically for AI tools to consume, transforming technical writing into "context curation" as artificial intelligence systems require well-organized information to function effectively. This shift represents a fundamental change in how documentation is created and used, with technical writers positioned to become essential "context curators" who design information architectures that serve both human and AI needs. What you should know: The rise of AI-powered development tools has made documentation quality directly impact code generation and system performance. Large language models (LLMs) require clear, accurate, and well-structured inputs to produce useful outputs, making the quality...
read Aug 8, 2025High-low split: 75% of executives think AI is working, employees disagree
A new survey reveals a significant disconnect between executives and employees regarding AI implementation success, with nearly three-quarters of executives believing their generative AI approaches are strategic and successful, while less than half of employees agree. This gap threatens long-term AI adoption and organizational productivity, highlighting critical change management challenges that companies must address to realize AI's full potential. What you should know: The perception gap between leadership and workforce creates serious operational and security risks across organizations. Nearly 75% of executives surveyed by Writer, an AI software company, believe their companies' approach to generative AI is well-controlled and highly...
read Aug 7, 2025AI ethics, prompt engineering jobs vanish as companies rush to swiftly changing market
AI companies are struggling to hire ethics professionals despite the technology's widespread deployment in sensitive areas like healthcare and criminal justice. The disconnect reveals how the industry's rush to market has sidelined responsible development practices, even as concerns about AI's potential harms continue to mount. The big picture: The AI ethics profession, once heralded as essential by the World Economic Forum in 2021, has failed to materialize into substantial job opportunities despite AI's explosive growth across industries. What you should know: AI ethics officers are designed to guide development and ensure technology aligns with ethical principles and societal values, helping...
read Aug 7, 2025AI progress needs experts, not white-collar sweatshop workers, says study
The era of "sweatshop data"—where low-skill contractors performed basic labeling tasks for AI training—is ending as artificial intelligence models require more sophisticated training approaches. A new analysis from AI researchers at Mechanize Inc. argues that advancing beyond current AI capabilities will demand high-skill specialists, interactive software environments, and deep subject-matter expertise rather than traditional dataset creation methods. The big picture: Current AI models have mastered basic tasks but struggle with complex, long-horizon challenges like managing large-scale software projects or autonomous debugging of intricate systems. Early AI systems benefited from simple, mass-produced datasets created by contractors paid "just a few dollars...
read Aug 6, 2025AI dons a hard hat as construction industry unveils safety tools for jobsites
The Construction Industry Institute has unveiled new AI-powered safety tools for jobsites, developed by a research team from Texas A&M University, Louisiana State University, and 20 industry professionals. The initiative identifies 19 best use cases for artificial intelligence in construction safety protocols and provides a matching tool to help companies implement the most effective solutions for their specific needs. What you should know: The research team created a comprehensive framework that connects AI applications with current safety challenges on construction sites. Wearables and generative AI can predict dangerous jobsite locations and establish geofenced alerts that notify workers when entering high-risk...
read Aug 6, 2025Elite students are dropping out of Harvard, MIT to prevent AI extinction of both humans and jobs
College students at elite universities like Harvard and MIT are dropping out to work on preventing artificial general intelligence (AGI) from potentially causing human extinction, driven by fears that superintelligent AI could arrive within the next decade. This exodus reflects growing anxiety among young people about both existential AI risks and the possibility that their future careers will be automated away before they even begin. What you should know: Students are abandoning prestigious academic programs to join AI safety organizations and startups, believing the threat is too urgent to wait. Alice Blair took permanent leave from MIT to work as...
read Aug 6, 2025No Chill: Silicon Valley shifts from workplace perks to high-stakes AI development
Silicon Valley's workplace culture has undergone a dramatic transformation, shifting from the fun, perk-filled environment of the Web 2.0 era to a more demanding "hard tech" atmosphere driven by the AI revolution. This cultural shift reflects broader changes in the tech industry's priorities and could signal what's coming for workplaces across other industries. The big picture: The era of Google's personal chefs, on-site acupuncture, and "Whiskey Fridays" has given way to intense pressure around AI development, where success is measured by access to Nvidia H100 graphics processing units rather than creative workplace amenities. What's driving the change: The transition from...
read Aug 5, 2025AI is displacing young workers and creating overall tech hiring slowdown, claims economist
Goldman Sachs economist Joseph Briggs reports that artificial intelligence is already beginning to impact the U.S. labor market, with young tech workers experiencing the earliest signs of displacement. The data suggests that while most companies haven't yet deployed AI in production at scale, the technology sector has already begun pulling back on hiring, particularly affecting workers between 20 and 30 years old whose jobs are most susceptible to automation. What you should know: Tech sector employment has broken from its 20-year linear growth pattern, with hiring falling below trend over the past three years. Unemployment rates among tech workers aged...
read Aug 5, 2025British Petroleum cuts 6,200 jobs as AI drives slick $5B cost reduction plan
BP announced it will eliminate an additional 1,500 jobs and 1,200 contractor roles by the end of 2025, bringing total expected job losses to 6,200—approximately 15% of its office-based workforce. The expanded cuts, up from 4,700 announced earlier this year, are part of the oil giant's intensified cost-saving drive that increasingly relies on artificial intelligence to improve operational efficiency and reduce expenses. The big picture: BP is accelerating its workforce reduction amid mounting shareholder pressure and weaker oil prices, with CEO Murray Auchincloss emphasizing that AI technology is playing a central role in the company's overhaul strategy. Key details: The...
read Aug 4, 2025India’s TCS cuts 12K jobs as AI transforms $200B IT sector
India's largest private employer, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), announced it will cut more than 12,000 jobs—its biggest layoff to date—as the country's IT sector faces mounting pressure from slowing global demand and artificial intelligence automation. The cuts signal broader disruption in an industry that employs over half a million workers and contributes 7.5% to India's GDP, raising concerns about the country's economic trajectory and ability to create the 8 million jobs needed annually. The big picture: India's IT sector, long built on low-cost skilled labor for routine software services, is being squeezed by AI automation that threatens entry-level positions while...
read Aug 4, 2025Google and Goodwill launch free AI training for 200K workers
Artificial intelligence has rapidly evolved from a futuristic concept to an essential workplace skill, yet many professionals remain uncertain about how to develop AI literacy. A new partnership between Google and Goodwill Industries offers a compelling solution: a comprehensive, free AI training program designed to bridge this knowledge gap for working professionals. The Google AI Essentials course, delivered through Coursera, represents a strategic collaboration between Google.org (Google's philanthropic arm) and Goodwill Industries—better known for thrift stores but actually the largest nonprofit workforce development provider in the United States, helping over 350 people find jobs daily. This partnership aims to deliver...
read Aug 4, 2025Job seekers reject AI interviews as dehumanizing hiring practice
AI-powered job interviews are becoming increasingly common as companies deploy chatbots to conduct initial candidate screenings, but job seekers are pushing back against the technology. Many unemployed professionals are refusing to participate in AI interviews, viewing them as dehumanizing and a red flag about company culture, even at the risk of missing job opportunities. What you should know: HR teams are turning to AI interviewers out of necessity as they struggle to manage thousands of applications per role with reduced staff. Companies use AI to filter top applicants, schedule interviews, and automate hiring correspondence beyond just conducting interviews. Job seekers...
read Aug 4, 2025Summer of discontent: AI eliminated 10,000+ US jobs in July alone, says study
Artificial intelligence is already eliminating thousands of jobs monthly across the U.S., with over 10,000 positions lost to AI adoption in July alone, according to a new report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas. The findings underscore how AI has rapidly become one of the top five drivers of job losses this year, reshaping entire industries while the broader job market faces mounting pressures from trade uncertainty and economic headwinds. The big picture: AI-driven job displacement is accelerating across multiple sectors, with technology companies leading the cuts at over 89,000 announced job reductions—a 36% increase from last year. More...
read Aug 1, 2025Take that, Oppenheimer: Meta offers AI researcher $250M over 4 years in talent war
Meta recently offered AI researcher Matt Deitke $250 million over four years—an average of $62.5 million annually—shattering every historical precedent for scientific compensation. The 24-year-old's package is 327 times what Manhattan Project leader J. Robert Oppenheimer earned while developing the atomic bomb, reflecting Silicon Valley's belief that the race for artificial general intelligence could reshape civilization and create trillions in market value. The big picture: Tech companies are treating AI talent like irreplaceable assets rather than well-compensated professionals, driven by the conviction that whoever achieves artificial general intelligence first could dominate markets worth trillions. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly offered...
read Jul 30, 2025AI is making traditional manager-employee 1:1 meetings obsolete as performance is already known
Organizational psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic argues that artificial intelligence and modern workplace technology are making traditional one-on-one meetings between managers and employees increasingly obsolete. His analysis suggests that real-time performance analytics, AI-powered feedback tools, and asynchronous communication platforms now provide better insights than scheduled check-ins, fundamentally challenging a management practice that has dominated corporate culture for decades. The big picture: Traditional 1:1 meetings evolved from early 20th-century scientific management principles into a cornerstone of modern leadership, but they're now struggling to justify their existence in an AI-driven workplace. Frederick Taylor's Scientific Management (1911) laid the groundwork for formal manager-employee check-ins focused...
read Jul 30, 2025Atlassian cuts 150 jobs in trend of AI replacing customer service roles
Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes announced the layoff of 150 employees, with customer service roles being replaced by artificial intelligence technology. The decision reflects a broader trend of tech executives automating jobs with AI, particularly in customer support functions that OpenAI's Sam Altman recently predicted could be entirely eliminated by AI systems. What you should know: The layoffs primarily target customer service positions that Atlassian, a software company, believes can be automated with AI technology. Cannon-Brookes made the announcement via video call from his home, with affected employees receiving six months of pay as severance. The cuts are part of a...
read Jul 30, 2025Euro voice actors have a Eurovision for regulation as AI threatens $4.3B industry
European voice actors are mobilizing against artificial intelligence as the technology threatens to disrupt the $4.3 billion dubbing industry, with industry associations calling for EU regulation to protect jobs and artistic rights. The pushback comes as streaming giants like Netflix experiment with AI dubbing solutions while the global dubbing market is projected to reach $7.6 billion by 2033. What you should know: Voice actors across Europe are demanding legislative protection as AI dubbing technology becomes more sophisticated and cost-effective. Boris Rehlinger, the French voice of Ben Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix, leads the TouchePasMaVF initiative to protect human-created dubbing from AI...
read Jul 30, 2025Microsoft study reveals which jobs AI threatens most—and which stay safe
Microsoft researchers have analyzed 200,000 real-world conversations between users and AI chatbots to determine which jobs face the highest—and lowest—risk of automation. The findings reveal a clear divide: white-collar knowledge work faces significant disruption, while manual labor jobs remain largely protected. This comprehensive study, based on anonymized conversations from Microsoft Bing Copilot (the company's AI-powered search assistant), offers the most detailed picture yet of how artificial intelligence is actually being used in workplace scenarios. Rather than relying on theoretical assessments, the research team examined genuine user interactions to understand where AI demonstrates practical utility versus where it falls short. The...
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