Mind & Society: “I trained the AI that took my job”

A designer in Malta says: I helped train the AI that took my job. Speaking to the Times of Malta this month, the designer said their team built an AI to make design decisions. Managers then judged it could replace half the team, the designer says. The employer wasn't named, and the industry body disputes reports of big AI job losses.

Goldman Sachs now estimates AI could displace about 9 percent of US workers within a decade: some 15 million people. The first jobs going are in tech, consulting and graphic design. And beginners feel it first: Stanford found 16 percent fewer jobs for 22 to 25 year olds in the most exposed fields. Experts disagree on how much is really AI.

Andrew Challenger, who tracks layoffs, says some jobs are literally being replaced. The research is clear on one thing: jobs shrink where AI does the whole task, and hold where it helps a person. Own the judgment and the final call, and learn the tool early. Asked to train the AI that will do your work?

Ask what your job becomes next. Next: more Mind and Society.