New Delhi, September 20 (IANS). The rapidly increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way of working. Due to this, productivity is increasing, but the fear of losing jobs has also increased, especially among the youth.
According to Quartz report, as Beijing tries to incorporate AI into almost every sector of the economy, its impact is beginning to be seen on workers in every sector, from software development to delivery services.
One of them is Fei Zhaojun, a programmer from Beijing, who lost his job when his company began to see whether AI could take over the coding tasks performed by humans. Fei was among about 160 employees who lost their jobs during the company's layoffs.
He said AI capabilities are constantly improving and many mid-level programming jobs are now easily replaceable. After losing his job, Fei has distanced himself from the tech industry and is now making short videos, as well as thinking about his next career.
The speed of AI adoption in China is astonishing. According to market intelligence firm IDC, less than 10 percent of Chinese industrial companies were using AI models and agents in 2024. Last year this figure increased to almost 50 percent. This shows how quickly companies are adopting this technology to reduce expenses and speed up work.
The effect of this change is visible in everyday life also. Humanoid robots are being deployed in logistics, including parcel sorting, while autonomous machines are beginning to perform tasks such as traffic management. Food delivery robots are also becoming common in cities, raising concerns about the future of millions of employees engaged in delivery services.
Its impact on the labor market is coming at a time when China's youth are already facing difficulties. The urban unemployment rate in the country is about 5 percent, but unemployment is much higher among youth aged 16 to 24 who are not studying. This is almost three times the national average. Experts say that large-scale automation may make it even more difficult for youth to get stable jobs.
Economists say that the benefits of AI are clear, but this change can bring big social consequences. Automation will increase productivity and help economic growth, but if new jobs are not created quickly, large-scale job losses could further increase unemployment pressure and lead to social instability.
–IANS
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