What happens to kids if AI takes entry level jobs? What you advising them?

it will.

What a waste of human capital. People whose talents lie in art, languages, critical thinking, music etc encouraged to become plumbers to hope they can keep earning a crust. Nowt at all wrong with being a plumber if that's where your talents lie, but we should be building a society that lets everyone flourish within their skill set.

😂there is that

Trades and apprenticeships are touted as the solution but the reality is there aren’t anywhere near enough apprenticeships or entry level roles. Not much you can do with those trade btechs without on the job training. Preferably
paid.

It costs companies to take on apprenticeships/train entry level candidates. Self employed contractors/small businesses are even less likely to be able to afford it. In a struggling economy they’re unlikely to be investing in trainees. AI isn’t necessarily the reason for that. It’s everyone trying to cut costs to the bone.

A lot of young people are going on to further education after 18 simply because there often isn’t a reliable alternative. Zero hours precarious work that doesn’t pay enough to live on or offer any scope for progression isn’t much of an alternative.

And when all the comfortably-off professionals who happily hand over thousands for treatment for their furbabies lose their jobs?

Robotic surgery will be more widely adopted in human medicine certainly but I don’t think veterinary surgeons will be completely immune from the onslaught of AI automation and robotics, sadly.

https://hub.jhu.edu/2025/07/09/robot-performs-first-realistic-surgery-without-human-help/

It’s a better bet than studying to be an accountant or a lawyer though.

My eldest DD is at university training to be a veterinary surgeon - long course but AI can’t do that!

I’d rather a robot wipe my arse than a human

If @Badbadbunny if robots can do a job better than humans, that's a bonus, not a requirement.

If people want robots to look after the elderly, or the severely disabled, or those with dementia, etc., then realistically, they'd be looking at having to have those people restrained and/or locked up, or the robots would have to be trained to use restraining forces. Confused or mentally disabled people aren't going to just sit back and let strange robots get personal with them!!

Re self service tills, I am one of many who think they DO make the customer experience better. They certainly reduce queueing for a start. None of this getting stuck behind 90 year old Mabel counting out her loose chain or faffing around trying to find her debit card. I greatly prefer shops with a self service option.

And yes, people DO care that robots can do things better than a human. If you look at the automated/robotic production/manufacturing processes, you get a consistent quality of end result. You don't suffer the "Friday afternoon" British Leyland faulty car anymore do you? A robot doesn't care what day it is, doesn't get stressed or lazy, doesn't go to work high on drink or drugs. I was the accountant in a factory in the 90s and we were just moving over onto CAD/CAM computerised manufacturing - it was an absolute revelation to watch the components churn off the production line, literally every last one of identical quality. It really wasn't just the money saving - the equipment cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and would take years to recover the costs - it was the standardisation, the reduced need to quality check every item, the reduced need, cost, time to re-work faulty man made items, and it massively increased efficiency as far more was produced in the factory space compared with having manual manufacturing equipment meaning we didn't have to buy a bigger factory!

Yup. Hate to be doom and gloom but I see ai taking a lot of jobs not just white collar but blue collar too. We have robotic arms that can build cars in Chinese factories how long until they’re building houses and delivering food here.
It’s easy to say there will always be a few fire place builders but there can only be so many people doing the remaining jobs.

The elites aren’t going to want to pay for universal income/credit for 80% of the population

The assisted dying bill is even more sinister in the context of this thread.

My husband is in tech as well and the rapid changes are quite scary, tbh. He still has a job but… who knows 🤷‍♀️😐

We (where we live) are currently still experiencing a shortage of attorneys but who knows how soon that will change.

Robots in agriculture are already here and seeing widespread adoption: https://www.deere.com/en/autonomous/

Well, in tech where AI is replacing entry level positions at an alarming rate, senior leaders literally don't care because they cannot see beyond the end of next quarter. And by the time it becomes a problem they will have cashed out and moved on - the average senior leader in tech changes company every 2-4 years.

Robots are routinely used for repeatable tasks in a controlled physical environment.

factories are great - you can build in the exact specs.

they aren’t used much in agriculture - because the physical environment varies too much and you need to move from place to place in a difficult physical environment.

they’re also not good at interactions with humans who have a level of cognitive impairment - so either babies or children whose minds are still developing, or at the other end of life people with dementia.

people need social interaction to develop as children and to keep their minds going for as long as possible. AI isn’t capable of that at the moment and it’s probably a way off developing that level of responsiveness.

I’m an attorney and I am wondering (or worrying) about that as well.

How will we train a new generation of lawyers when the easy, entry level work is done by AI?

The people who want their children and elderly relatives to be cared for by humans will have to pay a premium to do so then.

No-one cares if AI or robots do things better than real people - only that they can do it cheaper and at a better profit margin.

Does self-service at the supermarket make the customer experience in any way better? Of course not, but it lowers costs and therefore increases profits for the supermarket owners and that's all that matters.

This

Most humans need human contact.

perhaps the jobs will come from an industry that doesn’t exist right now that will offer human interactions at a low cost.

Think bars and restaurants without the food and drink

I have absolutely no faith that the rich will start pushing for an UBI or support it
@Catha537
I think that the people at the top who own and control everything will do whatever they think will allow them to hold on to their power and their status. They will see themselves as something akin to gods and they will not want to let go of that.
And let us not forget that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

There will always be some people with money - or have no choice but to do the work - alterntaives of leaving it being worse.

I'm not saying they'll need loads of brick layers in future - I'm saying few years ago there was a massive shortage of brick laying skills to point FIL could still be working now if he wanted.

Also saying and long term the new technqices and processes may well not be comptabile with existing buildings and all projects - so there will still be some need for bricklayers.

However they aren't going to be doing old fireplaces - or old building maintenance or the small projects in people gardens - at least not any time soon.

But people doing those jobs for pay depends on the owners of the fireplaces and old buildings and gardens having money to pay them.

Jobs involving caring for older people and children are probably the only safe ones left. Not many people will want their beloved kids and relatives being cared for by robots.

The low brith rates may mean children sector not great plan long term. Schools are closing in South Korean, Japan and China.

I think Japans trying robots with elder care due to worker shortages - but they often aren't as good in practise as expected.

Everything else I can see is at risk including physical work like bricklaying they already have robotic limbs that can play table tennis at elite level.

Brick working interesting - as FIL was finding work into his late 60s because he had those skills at time of skill shortage. I see some new building techquies - lego slots then concete or 3 D printing ones - and maybe long term new houses might start using them in huge numbers.

However they aren't going to be doing old fireplaces - or old building maintenance or the small projects in people gardens - at least not any time soon. Perhaps it will end up like masons who once had work building catherdals and castles - and now are a rarer and very skilled profession often doing maintance on those momunments.

Yeah I mean I get paid minimum wage anyway so when my job eventually goes (which it will soon) the switch to working in an old peoples home won’t be a big deal to me personally.

Its going to be a hard pill to swallow for people in high paying jobs vulnerable to AI

Jobs involving caring for older people and children are probably the only safe ones left.

The problem is ensuring an economic system where people get paid a wage they can live on to do those jobs.