| It feels tough out there ATM 15:54 - Oct 29 with 2722 views | BlueandTruesince82 |
Anyone else? I don't have too much to complain about in all honesty, employed, reasonably compensated despite taking a a fair cut for a job that allows me to move back east.
But mortgages payments about to double as a result and my new role atm involves me looking at bringing on board resource management systems all of which come with ever more intelligent AI add ons that in the next 5 years could easily replace me.....had a demo yesterday where I walked away thinking once this is in place, WTF will you need me for! It was both mind blowing and scary at the same time.
If you want a bit of fun and use Gemeni or ChatGPT regularly ask it "what do you know about me?"
My mate has been out of work for a year pretty much. Had a very good good job in Tech, 6 figures at the cutting edge of AI and tokenisation. Made redundant, market is dead. Got a job after 8 months, lasted 3, redundant again. He interviewed recently for a role with a large bank, new the main interviewer, didnt get it, over qualified (was perfect, has 2 ill parents and a 2nd baby on the way would have sat there for a good 3 years and let things settle domestically before he looked to take on more), given no opportunity to address that concern. House went in his divorce 3 years ago, any money fron his share gone on living expenses particular over the last 12 to 14 months now barely covering his rent and not sure where he goes from here.
So many posts on LinkedIn atm, 6 months into a job search, 9, 12. Applied for 300 jobs had 2 interviews, desperately reaching out to my network etc.......
Russia/Ukraine dragging on impacting world economies (hope it carries on until a full Russian withdrawal regardless but not helping with costs). Iran no sign of ending soon.
Youth unemployment getting worse entery level jobs decreasing. Grads finding it really hard having shelled out 30k plus for a degree. So many jobs that used to at least keep the youngsters ticking over until they found their career are gone, or zero hrs. Hospitality, retail etc.
Unemployment hit 5% for a while earlier this year, 4 7% atm. That was the highest since 2014. 12% is highest post war which was back in the early 80s, a fair gap but if that 5 becomes a 7 or 8 we have really big problems.
Youth unemployment 15.6% highest ever was approx 20% in 2011
Is it just me? Feels like some big economic shocks could be on the horizon, I'm not sure how, another market crash, sustained recession, something else. Hope I'm wrong, just feels like its tough all round unless you are earning mega bucks......all a sliding scale of course. We might all be in the same boat but not all in the same life rafts and some no raft at all.
Apologies, hope I haven't depressed you all. |  |
| |  |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 16:08 - Oct 29 with 2315 views | Zx1988 |
I think you might be right - nothing concrete, but a lot of little hints about the place.
One that struck me at the weekend was it seems that a decent, well-established specialty coffee chain here in Norwich is on its way out. No stock on the shelves, cafes closed randomly during the week, and a fair few negative reviews online about online orders never having been received. Fairly small in the grand scheme of things, but it does hint that the sort of people who would have £15-£20 to spend on a decent bag of coffee maybe aren't spending that money any more. |  |
| Not a prophet, or a stone-age man; just a mortal with potential of a superman. | | Poll: | Worst Ginger? |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 16:13 - Oct 29 with 2278 views | Perublue |
A perfectly acceptable viewpoint…you know what would sort all these problems out that are impacting on every country in the World and appear to only be getting worse… a good ol’big war …., 🤔 they wouldn’t would they ?
At least fags would be dirt cheap and no tax on them while we’re in the trenches. [Post edited 29 Oct 16:19]
|  |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 16:23 - Oct 29 with 2198 views | homer_123 |
Without wanting to derail the thread.
"Grads finding it really hard having shelled out 30k plus for a degree."
I'm sorry to say but University degrees and a University education is no longer what it once was It doesn't carry the same cache or open the same doors as it used to (unless you are in the elite/top Unis). Going to University nowadays is nothing more than a quick/ easy way to saddle yourself with huge debt that is going to be hard to remove and will be a noose around you neck for many a year.
Sure, University is still relevant for some roles (Doctors etc.) but for many, University doesn't mean 'career' or even 'job' these days.
I think this is very much driven by so many going to Uni than ever before coupled with the fact that in this day and age, you don't need a degree to get on.
Anyways.....sorry for dreailing! |  |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 17:05 - Oct 29 with 2000 views | BlueandTruesince82 |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 16:23 - Oct 29 by homer_123 |
Without wanting to derail the thread.
"Grads finding it really hard having shelled out 30k plus for a degree."
I'm sorry to say but University degrees and a University education is no longer what it once was It doesn't carry the same cache or open the same doors as it used to (unless you are in the elite/top Unis). Going to University nowadays is nothing more than a quick/ easy way to saddle yourself with huge debt that is going to be hard to remove and will be a noose around you neck for many a year.
Sure, University is still relevant for some roles (Doctors etc.) but for many, University doesn't mean 'career' or even 'job' these days.
I think this is very much driven by so many going to Uni than ever before coupled with the fact that in this day and age, you don't need a degree to get on.
Anyways.....sorry for dreailing! |
Not at all Homie, its part of it and whilst there are grad jobs out there, my industry takes in a new intake every year, they are more fiercely contested and the numbers are decreasing, AI is a huge part of that. We normally have 2 intakes a year, this time only 1. Plenty of work but AI can do those basic tasks that a 1st year would do and helps those that are 2nd, 3rd or qualified do their work faster.
I wouldnt go to Uni now. Tbh I don't think it lookd as fun as it was in my day anyway.
Uni didnt help me with my carerr really, 1st proper job didnt need a degree, all I think it really did for me was demonstrate a certain level of intelligence/capability I think thats alwsys been the case for a lot of grads and thats fine if there is pathway to a life, it might need a bit of figuring out, mine did. I worked a few ok but ultimately going nowhere fast jobs but each gave me something that ultimately got me where I am today. Far fewer of those atm.
There are some really good options, BMW have a really good apprentice programme. Some of the offshore stuff around windfarms, even McDonald's, I really think you can start flipping burgers and end up in the boardroom (at the very least managing a or multiple locations) but they are fewer.
I look at my mate and think how easily that could be me, and I've been good, saved for a rainy day etc but a year, thats not a rainy day, thats Noah telling you that he and his wife are ok but otherwise the arc is full. Then I look at what some of these systems can do now and I think it might be sooner rather than later.
Most Uni courses arent worth what they cost. If I was young mow I'd be looking for a trade or skill.
If I had 10 mins with 14yo me I'd say get a job in an auction house and learn or get a trade you can take anywhere. | |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 17:55 - Oct 29 with 1850 views | barcelonablue2 |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 17:05 - Oct 29 by BlueandTruesince82 |
Not at all Homie, its part of it and whilst there are grad jobs out there, my industry takes in a new intake every year, they are more fiercely contested and the numbers are decreasing, AI is a huge part of that. We normally have 2 intakes a year, this time only 1. Plenty of work but AI can do those basic tasks that a 1st year would do and helps those that are 2nd, 3rd or qualified do their work faster.
I wouldnt go to Uni now. Tbh I don't think it lookd as fun as it was in my day anyway.
Uni didnt help me with my carerr really, 1st proper job didnt need a degree, all I think it really did for me was demonstrate a certain level of intelligence/capability I think thats alwsys been the case for a lot of grads and thats fine if there is pathway to a life, it might need a bit of figuring out, mine did. I worked a few ok but ultimately going nowhere fast jobs but each gave me something that ultimately got me where I am today. Far fewer of those atm.
There are some really good options, BMW have a really good apprentice programme. Some of the offshore stuff around windfarms, even McDonald's, I really think you can start flipping burgers and end up in the boardroom (at the very least managing a or multiple locations) but they are fewer.
I look at my mate and think how easily that could be me, and I've been good, saved for a rainy day etc but a year, thats not a rainy day, thats Noah telling you that he and his wife are ok but otherwise the arc is full. Then I look at what some of these systems can do now and I think it might be sooner rather than later.
Most Uni courses arent worth what they cost. If I was young mow I'd be looking for a trade or skill.
If I had 10 mins with 14yo me I'd say get a job in an auction house and learn or get a trade you can take anywhere. |
I recently completed a dual-Masters at a 'distinguished avant-garde' institution.
The education you receive is absolutely mind-blowingly crap. The majority of classes are not led by experts but recent graduates whom are obviously skilled at what they do but totally lack any interest in teaching. I would say from maybe 60 faculty we had access to, 2 were actual teachers with an interest in teaching. I asked our director what his interests in pedagogy were and he genuinely never even heard of the word.
I opted against a second Master's year at half the price of the 1st and am so glad I did. I am now learning even more from £12 Udemy and Youtube courses. Saddest thing about the course was when you asked a question no-one had any interest in helping you, they only worked there for their own CVs, so you end up asking Claude and other AIs only to basically feed your projects and research into them so you can actually learn from somewhere.
I would also say a lot once you know where to look a lot of top universities release free courses where 90% of the knowledge is still relevant. They basically know that in the information age the information itself is almost worthless and no longer possible to gatekeep. It's who you know as the saying goes and they can provide that.
I am now applying for basically Bachelor's jobs and debating to work in kitchens again as I always have just to keep some income coming in. Plus side is you can have an income even if working with Gen-Z staff is the most miserable godforsaken task in existence, negative is I'm now nearly 10 years on from my original Bachelor's having graduated in COVID with absolutely nothing to show for it. The industry my specialism is in took so long to recover I was basically 5 years expired by the time there was anything to apply to.
When I look at what I can do I should basically be a middle level employee but again AI means the jobs I actually want equal to competing against people with 15 years experience instead with nothing to offer that they can't do.
I have no savings, no experience, no chance of affording a house or wedding, no memories as I spent the last 10 years working multiple minimum wage jobs so I could save up for the Masters, I live at home with my parents fortunately and I consider myself one of the luckier ones in my generation compared to most I have worked with and their experiences.
At the end of the day you just have to take it on the chin and keep going as hopefully there'll be some light at the end of tunnel.
Maybe we'll get really lucky and global warming will mean all the billionaires die to some natural freak weather event whilst at one of their Epstein parties. |  | | |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 18:03 - Oct 29 with 1805 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
No more poundland!! |  |
| "They break our legs and tell us to be grateful when they offer us crutches." | | Poll: | What you watching. |
| |
| (No subject) (n/t) on 18:33 - Oct 29 with 1724 views | FoghornGleghorn |
[Post edited 29 Oct 19:03]
| | | |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 18:37 - Oct 29 with 1704 views | J2BLUE |
I follow AI very closely and I don't think most people understand how good it is and how fast it's progressing.
I think we're in the transition period between the old economy and the new economy where AI and robotics will take an ever increasing share of jobs until we have a full blown crisis. With that said, with a larger older population retiring that might delay some of the impact but in 5 years or so I think we're going to see unemployment spike.
You would hope that the government will step in with some form of UBI or similar, funded by the increase in productivity from AI and robots but governments are slow to react and there will be all sorts of pushback. That leads me to think there is going to be a period of up to 5 years between the crisis really blowing up and some sort of solution. I am trying to be as financially resilient as a I can be. Saving money, investing in the new economy (robotics, resources, energy, biotech etc) and being as financially nimble as possible (staying in smaller property despite the fact I would like to move, keeping expenses like phone contracts to a minimum and being able to cut luxury expenses like Sky Sports etc if needed, trying to build additional income streams etc).
That period is going to be dangerous. I say up to 5 years after it reaches full crisis mode because the government at the time will need to do something and if they don't, people will vote for a government who does offer a solution.
Full crisis mode by 2030. Possibly sooner. Then start the clock for up to 5 years of turmoil. Hopefully a lot less. I think if we have a Reform or Tory government at the time they will refuse to take any action. Labour likely would act but would dither for several years first. Ideally we would see an election next year which would pencil the next one in for 2032 which would hopefully cut that period of turmoil down.
Just my opinion. I welcome any challenges for anything I haven't considered or might be wrong about. Spare me the stock responses about AI being crap though. [Post edited 29 Oct 18:41]
|  | | |
Login to get fewer ads
| It feels tough out there ATM on 18:45 - Oct 29 with 1630 views | Perublue |
Serious question…are there at this stage ANY AI proof job’s or are the majority of us going to have to go back to peasantry and small holdings on an island off the Scottish mainland. | |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 18:50 - Oct 29 with 1588 views | BlueandTruesince82 |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 18:37 - Oct 29 by J2BLUE |
I follow AI very closely and I don't think most people understand how good it is and how fast it's progressing.
I think we're in the transition period between the old economy and the new economy where AI and robotics will take an ever increasing share of jobs until we have a full blown crisis. With that said, with a larger older population retiring that might delay some of the impact but in 5 years or so I think we're going to see unemployment spike.
You would hope that the government will step in with some form of UBI or similar, funded by the increase in productivity from AI and robots but governments are slow to react and there will be all sorts of pushback. That leads me to think there is going to be a period of up to 5 years between the crisis really blowing up and some sort of solution. I am trying to be as financially resilient as a I can be. Saving money, investing in the new economy (robotics, resources, energy, biotech etc) and being as financially nimble as possible (staying in smaller property despite the fact I would like to move, keeping expenses like phone contracts to a minimum and being able to cut luxury expenses like Sky Sports etc if needed, trying to build additional income streams etc).
That period is going to be dangerous. I say up to 5 years after it reaches full crisis mode because the government at the time will need to do something and if they don't, people will vote for a government who does offer a solution.
Full crisis mode by 2030. Possibly sooner. Then start the clock for up to 5 years of turmoil. Hopefully a lot less. I think if we have a Reform or Tory government at the time they will refuse to take any action. Labour likely would act but would dither for several years first. Ideally we would see an election next year which would pencil the next one in for 2032 which would hopefully cut that period of turmoil down.
Just my opinion. I welcome any challenges for anything I haven't considered or might be wrong about. Spare me the stock responses about AI being crap though. [Post edited 29 Oct 18:41]
|
AI will have a generational impact on how we all work and live.
And the people behind them are clever. Our IT chap is v switched on. Apparently copilot tokens are cheaper than Claude to burn atm but as he pointed out Athropic lost $80 billion in the 1st half of 2026 and still has $131 billion in cash and some investments. That money is comming from somewhere, somewhere that will want ROI so atm as we all race towards AI adoption tokens are cheap, but once we're all hooked and business is intertwined with it those tokens are going to increase in cost. How are companies going to afford it, well AI does an awful lot so we can probably trim the workforce .......... | |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 18:58 - Oct 29 with 1541 views | BlueandTruesince82 |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 18:45 - Oct 29 by Perublue |
Serious question…are there at this stage ANY AI proof job’s or are the majority of us going to have to go back to peasantry and small holdings on an island off the Scottish mainland. |
Who's to say how society changes and adapts to these things, it happened with industrialisation, the production line
"Walter, how are you going to get these robots to pay your union dues?"
"Henry, how are you going to get them to buy your cars?"
But this will be a huge shift IMO, so many people are going to be impacted who dont realise it, I really believe that. | |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 19:18 - Oct 29 with 1461 views | bsw72 |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 18:37 - Oct 29 by J2BLUE |
I follow AI very closely and I don't think most people understand how good it is and how fast it's progressing.
I think we're in the transition period between the old economy and the new economy where AI and robotics will take an ever increasing share of jobs until we have a full blown crisis. With that said, with a larger older population retiring that might delay some of the impact but in 5 years or so I think we're going to see unemployment spike.
You would hope that the government will step in with some form of UBI or similar, funded by the increase in productivity from AI and robots but governments are slow to react and there will be all sorts of pushback. That leads me to think there is going to be a period of up to 5 years between the crisis really blowing up and some sort of solution. I am trying to be as financially resilient as a I can be. Saving money, investing in the new economy (robotics, resources, energy, biotech etc) and being as financially nimble as possible (staying in smaller property despite the fact I would like to move, keeping expenses like phone contracts to a minimum and being able to cut luxury expenses like Sky Sports etc if needed, trying to build additional income streams etc).
That period is going to be dangerous. I say up to 5 years after it reaches full crisis mode because the government at the time will need to do something and if they don't, people will vote for a government who does offer a solution.
Full crisis mode by 2030. Possibly sooner. Then start the clock for up to 5 years of turmoil. Hopefully a lot less. I think if we have a Reform or Tory government at the time they will refuse to take any action. Labour likely would act but would dither for several years first. Ideally we would see an election next year which would pencil the next one in for 2032 which would hopefully cut that period of turmoil down.
Just my opinion. I welcome any challenges for anything I haven't considered or might be wrong about. Spare me the stock responses about AI being crap though. [Post edited 29 Oct 18:41]
|
I’d agree most people underestimate what the current models can do. Where I’d push back is the jump from “AI can do this” to “unemployment spikes by 2030”, because the evidence so far points the other way.
UK unemployment was 4.7% for June to August this year, down from 5.2% at the end of 2025. In the US, where adoption is furthest ahead, Yale and Brookings found little sign that generative AI has shifted employment since ChatGPT launched. Anthropic’s own economists found no rise in unemployment for the most exposed workers, though hiring of younger people has slowed. An NBER paper found no spike in graduate unemployment this summer, and Goldman Sachs reckons the total effect so far is about 0.1 of a percentage point.
That could change, and some serious people agree with you. Anthropic’s CEO has talked about 10-20% unemployment within five years. But these forecasts have a poor record. Frey and Osborne predicted nearly half of US jobs could go between 2010 and 2030, and a review of the actual data this year found nothing like it.
I lead a technology team in a global firm of over 100,000 people, including some of the AI tools the business uses every day, so I spend a fair bit of time with C-suite leaders on exactly this. The conversations are rarely about replacing people wholesale. They’re about where AI takes friction out of work, what it costs to do safely and how fast we can adopt it without creating risk we can’t explain to a regulator or a client. The technology is the easy bit. Data, controls, liability and redesigning roles take years, and robotics is slower again. That gap between what AI can do and what organisations can actually absorb is why I don’t think your timeline holds.
The thing I’d watch is entry-level jobs. AI seems to work through fewer hires rather than redundancies, which breaks the graduate career ladder and holds down wages well before it shows up in the headline figures, and UBI doesn’t fix that. Your demographic point also cuts harder than you think: fewer working-age people means labour shortages, not surpluses.
Your resilience steps make sense either way. The one I’d question is piling into “new economy” themes. That story’s already priced in, and if you’re right, a global tracker gets you most of the upside without the risk of backing the wrong horse. |  | | |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 19:21 - Oct 29 with 1431 views | J2BLUE |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 18:50 - Oct 29 by BlueandTruesince82 |
AI will have a generational impact on how we all work and live.
And the people behind them are clever. Our IT chap is v switched on. Apparently copilot tokens are cheaper than Claude to burn atm but as he pointed out Athropic lost $80 billion in the 1st half of 2026 and still has $131 billion in cash and some investments. That money is comming from somewhere, somewhere that will want ROI so atm as we all race towards AI adoption tokens are cheap, but once we're all hooked and business is intertwined with it those tokens are going to increase in cost. How are companies going to afford it, well AI does an awful lot so we can probably trim the workforce .......... |
Agree.
Neither China or the US can let up because the other will get too far ahead. They are going to throw whatever it takes at AI because they can't let the other win. Neither will agree to slow down. | | | |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 19:23 - Oct 29 with 1414 views | mutters |
It's an interesting pivot moment in the history of humanity for sure, all big leaps have caused disruption. It was the same with the industrial revolution, the invention of modern day banking, introduction of computers into the workplace, then the Internet....
All changed how we work, what we could do but humanity carried on. It will be the same with AI, it will impact, change our behaviour but we will find a way. As a keen implementer/observer of AI I find it all very fascinating how it's evolving, my own personal opinion is that it's the next stage of evolution as machine and man become more blended.
I stumbled across this the other day
https://www.moltbook.com/
Fascinating site, very Reddity but for AI agents only. |  |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 19:24 - Oct 29 with 1411 views | mellowblue |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 18:45 - Oct 29 by Perublue |
Serious question…are there at this stage ANY AI proof job’s or are the majority of us going to have to go back to peasantry and small holdings on an island off the Scottish mainland. |
stuff which requires physical as well as mental abilities, plumbers, electricians, builders, bin men, nurses, dentists, doctors etc. But many will be vulnerable. | | | |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 19:40 - Oct 29 with 1331 views | BlueandTruesince82 |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 19:18 - Oct 29 by bsw72 |
I’d agree most people underestimate what the current models can do. Where I’d push back is the jump from “AI can do this” to “unemployment spikes by 2030”, because the evidence so far points the other way.
UK unemployment was 4.7% for June to August this year, down from 5.2% at the end of 2025. In the US, where adoption is furthest ahead, Yale and Brookings found little sign that generative AI has shifted employment since ChatGPT launched. Anthropic’s own economists found no rise in unemployment for the most exposed workers, though hiring of younger people has slowed. An NBER paper found no spike in graduate unemployment this summer, and Goldman Sachs reckons the total effect so far is about 0.1 of a percentage point.
That could change, and some serious people agree with you. Anthropic’s CEO has talked about 10-20% unemployment within five years. But these forecasts have a poor record. Frey and Osborne predicted nearly half of US jobs could go between 2010 and 2030, and a review of the actual data this year found nothing like it.
I lead a technology team in a global firm of over 100,000 people, including some of the AI tools the business uses every day, so I spend a fair bit of time with C-suite leaders on exactly this. The conversations are rarely about replacing people wholesale. They’re about where AI takes friction out of work, what it costs to do safely and how fast we can adopt it without creating risk we can’t explain to a regulator or a client. The technology is the easy bit. Data, controls, liability and redesigning roles take years, and robotics is slower again. That gap between what AI can do and what organisations can actually absorb is why I don’t think your timeline holds.
The thing I’d watch is entry-level jobs. AI seems to work through fewer hires rather than redundancies, which breaks the graduate career ladder and holds down wages well before it shows up in the headline figures, and UBI doesn’t fix that. Your demographic point also cuts harder than you think: fewer working-age people means labour shortages, not surpluses.
Your resilience steps make sense either way. The one I’d question is piling into “new economy” themes. That story’s already priced in, and if you’re right, a global tracker gets you most of the upside without the risk of backing the wrong horse. |
I'd agree that I dont think its going to happen quite that fast and I think companies, do want to try and maintain that human touch, for now. I constantly hear "we want to make your life easier, not replace you" and I believe them but with what I'm seeing (and my role is fairly Niche) its that my personal role can be split across other people and with AI it won't affect their workload. I'm not going to go into too much detail here it will take ages, but its definitely there. I think therr will be more of those than people realise. Ultimately I've seen it. My employer hasnt, yet (or at least hasnt let on).
Its still early days, RN you ask it questions, it answers, it can work through certain problems, analyse data, help you pull your excel together.....but its learning and fast. The changes that I have seen in my little corner are quite incredible and I couldnt have begun to predict them even a few years ago.
Chess is a really good example. ChatGPT isnt sophisticated enough yet to offers a player advise, its misses things that are obvious to even a quite basic player like myself but it will be able to, it just needs to learn and as it learns the soeed at which it will do so will increase and then let's see where we are. I'm not saying now or next year, but I do think it has started and I am saying sooner than many might think.
Edit to add when I started this it wasnt an AI is comming for your jobs thread, just a something is comming thread amd I do think AI is part of that but only part atm, there of course many factors [Post edited 29 Oct 19:43]
| |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 19:59 - Oct 29 with 1229 views | bsw72 |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 19:40 - Oct 29 by BlueandTruesince82 |
I'd agree that I dont think its going to happen quite that fast and I think companies, do want to try and maintain that human touch, for now. I constantly hear "we want to make your life easier, not replace you" and I believe them but with what I'm seeing (and my role is fairly Niche) its that my personal role can be split across other people and with AI it won't affect their workload. I'm not going to go into too much detail here it will take ages, but its definitely there. I think therr will be more of those than people realise. Ultimately I've seen it. My employer hasnt, yet (or at least hasnt let on).
Its still early days, RN you ask it questions, it answers, it can work through certain problems, analyse data, help you pull your excel together.....but its learning and fast. The changes that I have seen in my little corner are quite incredible and I couldnt have begun to predict them even a few years ago.
Chess is a really good example. ChatGPT isnt sophisticated enough yet to offers a player advise, its misses things that are obvious to even a quite basic player like myself but it will be able to, it just needs to learn and as it learns the soeed at which it will do so will increase and then let's see where we are. I'm not saying now or next year, but I do think it has started and I am saying sooner than many might think.
Edit to add when I started this it wasnt an AI is comming for your jobs thread, just a something is comming thread amd I do think AI is part of that but only part atm, there of course many factors [Post edited 29 Oct 19:43]
|
We've used AI tooling to reduce support calls into the service desk by 30% since introduction in 2024, and we have leveraged another set of AI tools to monitor the 100K+ endpoints and proactively remediate issues before colleagues know they are there - however we have maintained pretty much a flat headcount across our support functions and have used the time gained back from reduced reactive support volume to increase pro-active support and maintenance. Our support function is around 800 bodies globally.
Net effect is technology headcount remains flat but colleague technology experience has improved. True we may reduce but the current 3 year plan continues to switch resources from support to proactive remediation or development against our AI platforms. | | | |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 20:02 - Oct 29 with 1211 views | Illinoisblue |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 18:37 - Oct 29 by J2BLUE |
I follow AI very closely and I don't think most people understand how good it is and how fast it's progressing.
I think we're in the transition period between the old economy and the new economy where AI and robotics will take an ever increasing share of jobs until we have a full blown crisis. With that said, with a larger older population retiring that might delay some of the impact but in 5 years or so I think we're going to see unemployment spike.
You would hope that the government will step in with some form of UBI or similar, funded by the increase in productivity from AI and robots but governments are slow to react and there will be all sorts of pushback. That leads me to think there is going to be a period of up to 5 years between the crisis really blowing up and some sort of solution. I am trying to be as financially resilient as a I can be. Saving money, investing in the new economy (robotics, resources, energy, biotech etc) and being as financially nimble as possible (staying in smaller property despite the fact I would like to move, keeping expenses like phone contracts to a minimum and being able to cut luxury expenses like Sky Sports etc if needed, trying to build additional income streams etc).
That period is going to be dangerous. I say up to 5 years after it reaches full crisis mode because the government at the time will need to do something and if they don't, people will vote for a government who does offer a solution.
Full crisis mode by 2030. Possibly sooner. Then start the clock for up to 5 years of turmoil. Hopefully a lot less. I think if we have a Reform or Tory government at the time they will refuse to take any action. Labour likely would act but would dither for several years first. Ideally we would see an election next year which would pencil the next one in for 2032 which would hopefully cut that period of turmoil down.
Just my opinion. I welcome any challenges for anything I haven't considered or might be wrong about. Spare me the stock responses about AI being crap though. [Post edited 29 Oct 18:41]
|
It’s not so much that AI is crap (tho it often is when asked to create or fix minor graphic design issues) but more the fact that people use it to DO things but people more and more fail to understand the WHY of things. A family member works in corporate law…. Junior associates - ie entry level lawyers - are churning out work powered by AI yet fail to have any understanding of context or reasoning behind their positions. AI can make people look smarter, but not be smarter. |  |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 20:03 - Oct 29 with 1193 views | J2BLUE |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 19:18 - Oct 29 by bsw72 |
I’d agree most people underestimate what the current models can do. Where I’d push back is the jump from “AI can do this” to “unemployment spikes by 2030”, because the evidence so far points the other way.
UK unemployment was 4.7% for June to August this year, down from 5.2% at the end of 2025. In the US, where adoption is furthest ahead, Yale and Brookings found little sign that generative AI has shifted employment since ChatGPT launched. Anthropic’s own economists found no rise in unemployment for the most exposed workers, though hiring of younger people has slowed. An NBER paper found no spike in graduate unemployment this summer, and Goldman Sachs reckons the total effect so far is about 0.1 of a percentage point.
That could change, and some serious people agree with you. Anthropic’s CEO has talked about 10-20% unemployment within five years. But these forecasts have a poor record. Frey and Osborne predicted nearly half of US jobs could go between 2010 and 2030, and a review of the actual data this year found nothing like it.
I lead a technology team in a global firm of over 100,000 people, including some of the AI tools the business uses every day, so I spend a fair bit of time with C-suite leaders on exactly this. The conversations are rarely about replacing people wholesale. They’re about where AI takes friction out of work, what it costs to do safely and how fast we can adopt it without creating risk we can’t explain to a regulator or a client. The technology is the easy bit. Data, controls, liability and redesigning roles take years, and robotics is slower again. That gap between what AI can do and what organisations can actually absorb is why I don’t think your timeline holds.
The thing I’d watch is entry-level jobs. AI seems to work through fewer hires rather than redundancies, which breaks the graduate career ladder and holds down wages well before it shows up in the headline figures, and UBI doesn’t fix that. Your demographic point also cuts harder than you think: fewer working-age people means labour shortages, not surpluses.
Your resilience steps make sense either way. The one I’d question is piling into “new economy” themes. That story’s already priced in, and if you’re right, a global tracker gets you most of the upside without the risk of backing the wrong horse. |
Good reply, thank you.
My investments are diversified rather than single companies. Biotech, robotics, energy, semiconductors etc are in ETFs rather than specific stocks.
I have tried to avoid being too exposed to the Mag 7. | | | |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 20:11 - Oct 29 with 1154 views | Bigalhunter |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 19:24 - Oct 29 by mellowblue |
stuff which requires physical as well as mental abilities, plumbers, electricians, builders, bin men, nurses, dentists, doctors etc. But many will be vulnerable. |
I broadly agree that a manual trade such as plumbing, electrician, builder will become far more appealing alongside the advanced medical roles for the more academically minded.
My wife’s a GP and their practise trialled an AI program several years back to interpret blood results and adjust medication accordingly.
Total disaster as it turned out because it couldn’t manage situations where there were co-morbidities or where interactions with numerous different medications came into play but I’m sure the technology will eventually learn to cope with that.
On a separate note I imagine politicians could be very easily replaced by AI without any problems whatsoever. You just vote for a manifesto that appeals and the AI program adjusts/amends the relevant laws and enforces the policies in accordance with the chosen policy package.
No backhanders/u-turns/sex scandals/Liz Truss/Self-interest driven defections to Reform….just a faceless program implementing the will of the majority….
Hmmm |  |
| Sometimes I giggle about the frothing lunatic who’s put me on ignore and now has to constantly log out to see what I’ve said. Beneath that counterfeit persona lurks the same pitifully desperate egomaniac. | | Poll: | September 2025. Which one? |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 20:31 - Oct 29 with 1065 views | BlueandTruesince82 |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 19:59 - Oct 29 by bsw72 |
We've used AI tooling to reduce support calls into the service desk by 30% since introduction in 2024, and we have leveraged another set of AI tools to monitor the 100K+ endpoints and proactively remediate issues before colleagues know they are there - however we have maintained pretty much a flat headcount across our support functions and have used the time gained back from reduced reactive support volume to increase pro-active support and maintenance. Our support function is around 800 bodies globally.
Net effect is technology headcount remains flat but colleague technology experience has improved. True we may reduce but the current 3 year plan continues to switch resources from support to proactive remediation or development against our AI platforms. |
Thats the now. I'm not saying you're wrong, as I said earlier, we have adapted through huge technological advancements before, many jobs that once were common don't exist any more and we have found and created new ones. But lets see in 15 years. Musk tells us he's going to help us all live like celebs and we won't have to work, we'll see. I do think more people will be affected than we realise. | |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 20:34 - Oct 29 with 1024 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
So are you saying that A.I is essentially Big Brother on steroids? | |
| "They break our legs and tell us to be grateful when they offer us crutches." | | Poll: | What you watching. |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 21:10 - Oct 29 with 889 views | BlueandTruesince82 |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 20:11 - Oct 29 by Bigalhunter |
I broadly agree that a manual trade such as plumbing, electrician, builder will become far more appealing alongside the advanced medical roles for the more academically minded.
My wife’s a GP and their practise trialled an AI program several years back to interpret blood results and adjust medication accordingly.
Total disaster as it turned out because it couldn’t manage situations where there were co-morbidities or where interactions with numerous different medications came into play but I’m sure the technology will eventually learn to cope with that.
On a separate note I imagine politicians could be very easily replaced by AI without any problems whatsoever. You just vote for a manifesto that appeals and the AI program adjusts/amends the relevant laws and enforces the policies in accordance with the chosen policy package.
No backhanders/u-turns/sex scandals/Liz Truss/Self-interest driven defections to Reform….just a faceless program implementing the will of the majority….
Hmmm |
This is how terminator starts though | |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 21:22 - Oct 29 with 832 views | Swansea_Blue |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 16:23 - Oct 29 by homer_123 |
Without wanting to derail the thread.
"Grads finding it really hard having shelled out 30k plus for a degree."
I'm sorry to say but University degrees and a University education is no longer what it once was It doesn't carry the same cache or open the same doors as it used to (unless you are in the elite/top Unis). Going to University nowadays is nothing more than a quick/ easy way to saddle yourself with huge debt that is going to be hard to remove and will be a noose around you neck for many a year.
Sure, University is still relevant for some roles (Doctors etc.) but for many, University doesn't mean 'career' or even 'job' these days.
I think this is very much driven by so many going to Uni than ever before coupled with the fact that in this day and age, you don't need a degree to get on.
Anyways.....sorry for dreailing! |
I’m not so sure about that. It’s not a cheat code to an automatically better life but still provides opportunities you wouldn’t get without it. Those don’t always suit everyone of course, but we didn’t hesitate to support our eldest when he wanted to go. There’d be very little for him around here otherwise. |  |
| |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 00:26 - Oct 30 with 523 views | Bigalhunter |
| It feels tough out there ATM on 21:10 - Oct 29 by BlueandTruesince82 |
This is how terminator starts though |
Doesn’t seem so quite so fantastical and utterly unbelievable now though, does it? | |
| Sometimes I giggle about the frothing lunatic who’s put me on ignore and now has to constantly log out to see what I’ve said. Beneath that counterfeit persona lurks the same pitifully desperate egomaniac. | | Poll: | September 2025. Which one? |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
