Shawn K was a software developer with more than two decades of experience and a salary that many dreamed, $ 150,000 a year. However, the advance of artificial intelligence and automation algorithms pushed him, like so many others, outside the technological sector. Hoy, Distribute food in rural areas of New York and survives selling their belongings on eBay.
The history of this programmer is not an isolated case. In recent years, hundreds of workers in the digital sector have begun to feel the impact of AI on employment.
From mass layoffs to completely automated selection processes, The technological labor market has become more competitive and less human.
When a person does not even interview you
After being fired in April last year, Shawn sent more than 800 jobs. He barely managed to get a few interviews, and many of them were directly with automated systems. «I feel super invisible. I feel they filter me before a human enters the chain«He said in an interview for Fortune.
This marks a growing trend, that the selection processes filtered by artificial intelligence are redefining how jobs are accessed. It is no longer enough to have experience or good technical training. If the curriculum does not exceed algorithmic filters, the candidacy does not even reach human hands.
shawnfromportland.substack.com
For Shawn, what is happening is more than a labor crisis. He calls it «the great displacement», a deep transformation of the world of work promoted by automation and generative artificial intelligence, such as chatgpt. Although many believed that only routine jobs would be in danger, today even highly qualified professionals are in danger their future.
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, has warned that in a short time the AI systems could assume most programming tasks. And reality seems to prove him right. Developers face a saturated market, where AI tools write, correct and check code without rest.
Work without a roof, live with uncertainty
At 42, Shawn lives in a van and travels rural roads to deliver orders, according to Clarion. What began as a temporary solution has already extended more than a year. The contrast with his previous life is brutalbut it is also a reflection of what many could face if the effects of labor automation are not regulated.
While distributing food, keeps a newsletter from where it warns about what it considers a social emergency. «This is not another recession. It is a total reconfiguration,» he warns.
The impact of AI on employment increasingly worries global institutions. According to estimates from the World Bank and the International Labor Organization, up to 38% of jobs in Latin America could be affected by generative artificial intelligence tools.
Although the risk of total automation remains low (between 2% and 5%), the change in tasks and skills is already a fact.
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has also indicated that AI is redefining not only labor functions, but also working conditions and professional training. Public policies are needed that promote a fair, ethical and equitable transition.
In addition, organizations such as UNESCO and OECD have warned about gender biases present in artificial intelligence systems. These technologies, if they are not regulated, could further expand the gaps in access to employment and digital economy.
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Tags: Artificial intelligence, programming