This weekend’s deep dive into the jobs AI is gunning for garnered a lot of attention from readers.
Hundreds wrote in to share how the tech took their jobs, how they think AI should be managed, and their fears for the future.
If you missed the feature, you can scroll through it here…
Several readers got in touch to say AI wasn’t coming for people’s jobs – it already has.
I was a translator and proofreader but, after building up a freelance career over 20 years, now have no career at all. It isn’t coming for our profession – it has already destroyed it, but as most translators are self-employed in the UK, we are unable to easily unite to speak out.
Melanie H
I have recently been made redundant from a team of 40 that have also been made redundant. We worked in a call centre that has now gone fully AI technology. Most of us are struggling for work as the job market has nothing.
comicsans
Freelance editing and proofreading has dwindled to almost nothing, so have gone to a low paid admin job instead – until that is done by AI.
Villager
I think AI killed my profession two years ago! As a graphic designer, we were on the AI takeover frontline, along with copywriters. I still get a bit of work but I can’t make it work as a business anymore. Desperately trying to learn other things, but I’m now massively in debt.
Mark
AI anxiety is near constant for me in a world where I’m barely saving £100 per month. I’m desperate. 30% of my team was laid off in February, a further 12 employees let go last month. I have survivor’s guilt as I’m not sure why I’ve survived, but I expect it’s coming…
Harry
Those watching on from the sidelines keenly felt the threat posed by AI to society as a whole…
The truth is no job is safe. If AI replaces X amount of the workforce, that X will be looking for jobs that AI can’t do. Everything will become minimum wage as there’ll be no demand for any skills.
Matt Lock
There’s going to have to be a huge rethink on how the economy is run then, lots of angry unemployed people won’t stay quiet for long.
Lucyk
How are those not able to work [going to] be able to get any payments to live? How is the economy system going to function? Government’s got to assist the people.
Clifford Joned
Some readers had suggestions on how the government should tackle the problem…
Companies should pay taxes for each worker that is replaced. If AI does the work of 10, then pay the equivalent taxes for the 10 to the government. The firms would still save on wages. This was Thatcher’s mistake on robots.
Gloria Stonham
The use of AI for profit should be taxed and carefully regulated. Knowledge workers also need to explore ways to protect and claim ownership of their intellectual contributions. We need a framework to make society not just more efficient but more human-centered, not less.
Le Mai Doan
Others were less sympathetic to those losing their jobs…
Better get used to it. You lot asked for this when us boomers told you that computers took jobs. You didn’t care about us, or didn’t take any notice because you were doing so well. Financially, chickens coming home to roost. No sympathy whatsoever.
Jack
Securing work as a trader or medic was the way forward, said some…
Looking at the list of most and least exposed jobs to AI, I am definitely going to strongly recommend to my grandchildren to get trades through apprenticeships and to give university a very wide berth.
Theoldnick
Not going to replace scaffolders is it.
Mike Smith
Emergency worker – I think I should be safe. Can’t exactly see a machine understanding someone’s extreme pain and administering correct medication.
Paul Chall
And not everyone was convinced by the work Money feature writer Brad Young put in to the feature…
This article was absolutely written by ChatGPT
Kev Blewitt