0 comments
they’ll still need us to run the AIs, right?
By the time you have five years’ experience for that entry level job, AI might just render it obsolete anyway.
It’s no secret that companies are looking to automate admin roles in the near future. An algorithm isn’t going to book two weeks off in Marbella, or send a message saying it’s got the shits 10 minutes before its shift begins.
It’s not going to create a union, it doesn’t require a pension, it’s not going to grass anyone up to HR, and it doesn’t have any sort of mental health to go all topsy-turvy in the first place. It’s pure, uninhibited productivity that isn’t powered by caffeine.
This attitude is not my own, but that’s the gist of what is getting CEOs all hot and bothered with excitement. Young people, meanwhile, are dealing with record levels of unemployment and are staring at the ceiling at night wondering whether that master’s degree outlay would have been better spent on cocktails in Bali.
For those of us who have landed ourselves in a comfy job (pats table, and clicks kettle), we may not be safe for much longer either – provided a new Mercer industry report is worth its salt.
The consulting firm polled nearly 1,000 executives across the US, and 99% of them showed a desire to replace certain job roles with AI within the next two years. 98% also said they’re prepping major organisation changes centred around the technology. So, about as reassuring as your GP gasping at your scan photos.
For many of those who avoid the chop, the report reveals that 65% of executives have role revisions in mind for between 11% and 30% of their entire workforce. It actually uses the word ‘redeployed’, which sounds more military conscription than repositioning a houseplant.
The anxiety surrounding the situation shows little sign of abating, with employee concern spiking from 28% in 2024 to 40% today, and that panic is becoming increasingly justified.
When it comes to office work that is more corporate leaning than creative, the truth is that a chunk of it is organisational: there’s data entry, filing, research, scheduling, and other riveting tasks that make up a significant part of both junior level and senior level roles in the sector. Execs want to automate this and save on wages.
This is making the corporate ladder from apprentice to management harder to reconcile too. The report reveals 53% of employees are worried about lacking future ready skills, and 63% even said they’d trade a 10% pay rise for the chance to upskill their knowledge of AI and digital tools. They want to play the long game, in fear that the game itself could end unexpectedly.
For those who want to get a foot in the door via traditional means, aka proving useful and efficient with busywork, they’re going up against machines in terms of efficiency and cost. Are your wages more than a monthly subscription to ChatGPT? Is your tea or coffee that bussin?
Talk of AI disrupting the labour market was a little hasty and premature in 2022, but we’re now seeing the knock-on impacts at scale in 2026. For the young folks who haven’t yet built their value at work, you may find that AI agents are becoming a bigger nuisance than rival applicants.
🧐 uncanny valley
What Backrooms and Obsession Blowing Up the Box Office Actually Tells Us About the Future of Movies – gq
For anyone in Hollywood who swore young people weren’t interested in the cinema and blamed them for killing the industry, you’re hereby exiled to the Backrooms. After years of that sort of gaff spreading in tabloids and interviews, two low budget horror movies incepted by directors in their twenties have taken over the box office in the last month. Both releases should have cannibalised eachother, but instead they’ve fuelled a wider appetite for disruptive chaos. The ongoing buzz shows that massive budgets and rinsing popular franchises isn’t necessarily the answer – and that word of mouth is enough. Young people want sharp ideas that resonate, and the fact a $750,000 project in Obsession is outperforming the newest Star Wars romp underscores that with a phat $100m return in just three weeks. Read more
‘The face doesn’t move’: Hollywood’s obsession with cosmetic surgeries has led to stiffer looks – and performances – the guardian
Obsession works because the lead character is supposed to evoke that strange uncanny valley feeling within the audience. Moderation and nuance are important, meaning you have to be able to turn this quality on and off. For the Hollywood elite who’re filling their faces with Botox and filler like there’s no tomorrow, that stiffness is apparently becoming something of an occupational hazard. The Guardian’s piece looks into how the ritual of batting off ageing with cosmetics is making some big screen performances feel eerily blank, with directors reportedly struggling to get expression out of some big-time actors. It’s sad that the industry has long promoted unrealistic body standards, and now is lambasting talent for coming across like NPCs from the neck up. You can never truly defeat Father Time, and the industry should stop pretending silicone and lighting can. Read more
😶🌫️ gen recluse
The youth unemployment crisis is destroying young people’s confidence – lbc
We’re shit on the phone, we can’t do small talk in job interviews, we’re getting mogged by AI for entry level jobs, what else is new? LBC has fleshed out that last point, suggesting that the youth unemployment crisis going on in the UK is squashing what little self-confidence younger Gen Zers have left. It says that faith in the traditional pathway of school, college, and university (before getting a ‘foot in the door’) has massively diminished in the last year. ‘Constant rejection stops feeling like rejection from employers and starts becoming rejection of yourself,’ writes Roman Dibden, a youth employment expert. He posits, from experience, that the unemployment stuff isn’t indicative of a lack of ambition, but of young people feeling downtrodden through repeated dismissal from employers. Go give it a read, if nothing else, feel seen. Read more
Gen Z Are ‘Solo-Maxxing’ Instead of Going on Dates – vice
So, that’s where all the babies went. Gen Z dating offers all the stability of a pub Jenga set at Soho on a Thursday night. Feeling as apathetic about relationships as the job market, a significant portion of the cohort has decided to go it alone, a practice Vice has exasperatingly dubbed ‘solo-maxxing.’ It cites dating burnout, financial concerns, and lifestyle preferences as major factors dissuading young people from growth beyond ghosting. The piece’s sharper point is that choosing solitude isn’t automatically tragic. Psychotherapist Matthew Willner says the difference sits in motivation. Independence can be nourishing, but avoidance can masquerade as peace. Have a look at the article, and then in the mirror. Read more
