AI , Jobs, and the Meaning of Work

In August 2025, Reuters/Ipsos reported that 71% of people fear that AI will cause permanent job loss. Since ChatGPT's release on 30 November 2022, conversations about work and automation have dominated public debate. In June 1983, The New York Times quoted an expert saying that “the consensus in the United States is that large numbers of workers will be laid off” because of computers. In 1990, it was easy to imagine that the Internet would reduce the need for travel agents, paper-based records, or in-person transactions. But few could have predicted the rise of entirely new professions: social media managers, YouTubers, or cybersecurity specialists.