Don’t blame AI for your job loss

Yes: artificial intelligence (AI) is replacing jobs. But this isn’t the first time that technology has shifted the job market, and people adjusted. They still complained about it, but is that a good use of your energy? Does it make you feel better about your situation, or worse?

Psychologically, humans encounter a challenge and look for something to blame so it’s not our fault. When others are encountering the same challenges and promote their blame, it infects us all. In this situation, we have decided to blame AI for our current job market while industries like healthcare and construction struggle to hire. And healthcare isn’t looking for doctors. They are looking for roles that require a certification or a specialized associate’s degree. You’d be surprised what those roles pay.

There’s a lot about the long-term impact of AI that we don’t know yet, and the speed of the business exceeded the pace of legislative regulation. The Industrial Revolution created production with speed and scale, enabling lower prices and a broader service market. But there will always be a downside. Back then, it was inconsistent and unregulated wages and significant environmental impacts. Today, it’s AI replacing jobs, data center construction in urban areas, environmental impacts, and a lack of legislation that keeps pace with the demand. That’s very real.

But AI is just a new tool in the toolbox. It is the digital version of industrialization in manufacturing. Machinery replaced craftsmen, who had to pivot from woodworker to technician. Both are trades, but both are art. The artisan is just using a different medium: metal versus wood. Today, we are still craftsmen, but our medium is a computer. Our hard work and innovation simply created a new factory. The machines don’t look like the conveyor belts of the industrial age. They look like closets with lights and wires, which is surprising and unexpected. And humans don’t like to be uncomfortable, either.

What if we looked at this evolution as a new way to approach employment? Not only is this a business transformation, but it’s a cultural transformation as well.