"Stop sugar-coating it": Anthropic CEO says AI will slash 50% of entry-level white collar jobs

[–] towerful@programming.dev 132 points 3 days ago (5 children)

If everyone is replacing low level jobs with AI in order to pump next quarters numbers, they are gonna be fucked in 5-10 years when there is a skilled labour shortage - those very skills learned and developed while doing the lower level jobs.

This is a gargantuan gamble on AI being able to progressively replace more an more complicated jobs, and stay in line with this curve as the skill ages out of the population.

Oh, and nobody will be able to pay for the services provided by these companies because nobody will have money because they can't get jobs because all the low skill jobs are done by AI, and nobody can develop skills because there is no entry to industries/careers via low skilled jobs.

Replacing jobs with AI is so fucking stupid.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 33 points 3 days ago (3 children)

When I saw a similar article posted previously there was mention that "colleges and boot camps need to level up students faster" the implication there being they want students to graduate into senior positions (I'm not in the field so I have no idea how possible that even is)

What's infuriating about this position is that it becomes the new "entry level" with entry level pay... Higher skilled, better trained, supposed to be more valuable but will be getting paid less because AI kneecapped them... The future looks more disgusting every day

[–] Sc00ter@lemm.ee 25 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I feel like the only way this is possible is some terrible co-op between businesses and colleges that, instead of colleges educating on basics and fundamentals, theyve basically turned university into the on-the-job training you would get as an entry level employee. But now, youre paying for it instead of being paid for it.

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

That already happens, it’s called “Unpaid Internship with College Credit”.

[–] Sc00ter@lemm.ee 6 points 3 days ago

Now imagine that for 4+ years instead of semester at a time.

[–] towerful@programming.dev 5 points 3 days ago

Yeh. Unpaid internship instead of an apprenticeship.
But an apprenticeship doesn't require a university degree to qualify for

[–] idunnololz@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago

I work in this field and honestly you need a lot of experience to fulfill the duties of a senior software engineer and there is no replacement for experience. It's like asking if students can do more school to become a doctor instead of doing residency.

[–] towerful@programming.dev 8 points 3 days ago

Having been through university, I have no idea how I could "level up faster" without more years.
And I say that as someone that has carved out a career doing something as the (AFAIK) only person (well, freelancer at least) doing what I do in my country.

Maybe AI disrupts universities? Or AI disrupts skills?
Like AirBnB disrupted hotels, then enshitified to make airbnbs require more manual labour to stay at and cost more than a fucking standard hotel room.

[–] Zos_Kia@lemmynsfw.com 19 points 3 days ago

I think they believe they have reached class war escape velocity.

[–] starchylemming@lemmy.world 18 points 3 days ago

somehow with how anti humane so many ceos are, that seems to be the best case scenario right now

the great future is ahead of us rejoice technology enables abundance of resources and less work

we just dont do it because sharing sucks

[–] ohshittheyknow@lemmynsfw.com 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

AI can't even replace entry level jobs. Any company that tries is going to fall flat on its face.

[–] radiofreebc@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago (2 children)

AI could replace CEO's.

[–] Zink@programming.dev 6 points 3 days ago

Arguably, AI could replace CEOs more effectively than any other position in the company.

A CEO is a person who reaches confident, decisive conclusions, ideally using a bunch of available data. Their process can be a mystery and they can easily be wrong and harm/destroy the company. But they are confident, damn it.

An AI chatbot could do that shit! Hell, you could have it summarize the academic business literature on your subject and the results of similar initiatives at other companies. You world probably do better on average than human CEOs, lol.

It’s not like replacing the workers who have to produce output that’s actually correct.

[–] ohshittheyknow@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 3 days ago

A wet cardboard box can replace most CEOs

[–] MITM0@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

& It's not even real AI to begin with, just automation algorithms

[–] tane6@lemm.ee 68 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Wish AI would kill 100% of CEOs instead

[–] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 18 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Pretty sure they're already unnecessary

[–] Dynamo@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago

I think they meant literally

[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 62 points 3 days ago (2 children)

AI-bro keeps saying AI will start working any day now! For real this time! Please send 100 billion dollars.

[–] Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world 32 points 3 days ago (2 children)

We just need another 10 trillion gallons of water and 1.21 more gigawatts. Just a little more bro, share your nuclear power plants, you aren't even using them right now bro.

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[–] propitiouspanda@lemmy.cafe -2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It has been working, though.

[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Has it? What have you used AI for recently, and have you paid the actual cost of running it? (hint: the answer to the second question is no, since no company is turning a profit on a per-question basis under any model).

[–] propitiouspanda@lemmy.cafe -2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I and many others use AI daily in our work.

There is already work being done by AI that has previously been done by humans.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 28 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Guy who sells Segways insists "Ford Motor Company will be bankrupt in 10 years. Everyone is going to own a Segway and the automotive industry will be toast."

Guy who sells Beyond Burger announces "This is the end of the ground beef industry. I wouldn't bother raising any new cows any time soon because our burgers are better in every way. Nobody is going to want to eat meat in another five years. Our product is just that good."

Guy who sells Fleshlights proclaims "The wedding ring industry is not going to survive to the end of the decade because..."

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

But what if I want to marry my Fleshlight...

[–] Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

You have to exchange cock rings.

[–] vala@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

To be fair, beyond burgers are actually better than beef but people will never accept that.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

I mean, its done very well in terms of adoption and business growth. Hardly a bad company to invest in. But if the CEO were to proclaim that Beyond Beef will slash 50% of abattoir worker jobs in the next ten years, you'd rightly call him a nut.

[–] MapleEngineer@lemmy.world 26 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Who the fuck do these assholes think is going to generate their profits when none of the poor people have jobs?

[–] BreakerSwitch@lemm.ee 27 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Land ownership, entrenched wealth. The economy already started to shift towards selling a few exceptionally expensive items to the rich over selling a ton of cheap items to the poor years ago, and we're going to see how far it can go into "if nobody has money who's going to buy everything" before a collapse. The examples I'm most familiar with are in video games. Gacha games target whales while, in the worst cases, using free players as content for those whales who are spending thousands or tens of thousands a month. Meanwhile, the price for individual releases keeps going up to the point that there's speculation that the coming console generation the switch 2 is heralding will be the first one that isn't affordable for the average american household.

The top 10% of US earners are already behind half of all consumer spending.

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[–] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

The goal is corporatocratic neo-feudalism. That has always been the goal of capitalism/neoliberalism. They’re getting very close, now.

[–] propitiouspanda@lemmy.cafe -2 points 1 day ago

The poor people can go back to doing menial labor like they've done throughout most of civilization.

That means you and I, and our children.

Gotta love neo-liberalism. Such a shit ideology.

[–] zarathustra0@lemmy.world 18 points 3 days ago

Why Gen Z Is Thriving In The Entrepreneur Life - https://www.forbes.com/sites/markcperna/2024/06/18/gen-z-thriving-entrepreneurship/

Just pull yourself up by your bootstraps I guess?

Oh, and you better have positive entreprenuerial vibes or else you just aren't manifesting hard enough.

[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

I'm gen X working in a field and job that will absolutely be hit HARD by this. I'm fully aware I'm most likely working my last "real" job before I'll have to move on to gigs. I'll surely not be eligible for pension when this starts happening (only 41) but I fully expect my position to be taken by AI somewhere in the next 5 years.

I'm not fighting it. Something tells me the entire world will have... other attention-demanding proclivities in 5 years, and employment may not even be in the top 10 at that time.

[–] Monstrosity@lemm.ee 16 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

@ 41, you are a Millennial friend.

[–] SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 days ago (3 children)

The dates are fuzzy, because generations are more cultural than clinical.

If person born in 1984 grew up thinking "I could get a good job but what's the point" and worried about nuclear war constantly, they might ID as genX.

[–] Monstrosity@lemm.ee 5 points 3 days ago

Huh, yeah that's interesting I hadn't thought of it that way.

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[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

Xennial then :p

[–] TwoBeeSan@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Yupper. Wish you and yours the best.

everyone knows that impending crisis is looming, subconsciously or otherwise. Don't look up.

Latch onto things in the meantime while you distance yourself from the amalgam of disasters you can't do shit to prevent.

Ai is the indicator we're finished creating anything new or meaningful as a society. We don't want to put in the effort. Easy only. Cash in.

"We use to make things in this country. Now we just put our hands in the next guys pocket."

[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

Yup, currently in "enjoy it now, might not be there anymore tomorrow" mode.

[–] DemBoSain@midwest.social 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It will be interesting to see how generative AI affects the job market in the long term and how people adapt to the changes as it gains broad adoption.

Sure will, Kevin. It sure will.

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[–] Not_mikey@slrpnk.net 6 points 3 days ago

Wonder how the millennials are gonna handle being the rich generation in a decade when there boomer parents die off and they inherit overinflated property values combined with them being the only one with well paying jobs since they got in when there were at least a couple rungs on the bottom of the ladder.

[–] propitiouspanda@lemmy.cafe -3 points 1 day ago

How are they "out of work"?

Does this mean there are no jobs that need to be done?

Sounds like progress to me, or just entitled whiners unwilling to adapt.

[–] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 days ago

!fuck_ai@lemmy.world

[–] ohshittheyknow@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 3 days ago

So can a wet cardboard box

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