You might think that the tech world would have some of the safest jobs in the wake of the artificial intelligence revolution, but one former software engineer learned that's not the case the hard way after losing his $150,000-a-year job to AI forced him to move into a trailer.
We've all heard the fears surrounding certain jobs in the next few years, as you only need to briefly look into the world of AI to see people talking about which roles are most at risk of redundancy.
AI experts have outlined their worrying picks, and even Bill Gates has predicted that just three jobs will survive the rise of AI over the next few years, but it turns out that some of the first roles on the chopping block actually exist in the world of technology itself.
Meta is allegedly lining up plans to replace roughly 50% of its coding workload with self-sufficient AI agents, and one former software worker lost his $150,000-per-year job last year after being 'replaced' by an AI.
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As reported by Fortune, Shawn Kay had already experienced multiple layoffs around the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 pandemic in his several decade long career, but his most recent job loss is by far the most devastating.
While the previous redundancies left him out of work for only a short period of time, it has now been over a year since Kay most recent job in April 2024, with no signs of any progress.
He has reportedly applied to over 800 different roles in his field, but despite two decades of experience he's only managed to secure just 10 interviews - with some of them even shockingly conducted by AI agents.
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Losing such a high-salaried job has forced him to move into a trailer in central New York, and rely on funds from food delivery service DoorDash and selling old items in order to make ends meet.
His previous role was at a company focused on the metaverse - which Mark Zuckerberg has currently lost billions of dollars working towards - but while it might have been a trendy topic several years ago, the rise of AI like ChatGPT has eclipsed it entirely.
Taking to social media platform LinkedIn, Kay has issued a frightening warning for the future of jobs in relation to AI, and it's bound to make anyone fear for their own employment security:
"I truly believe that within about 10 years, nearly any job done on a computer all day will be eliminated," Kay writes. "I think it's already begun. I think the consequences will be worse than almost anyone is thinking, and it's coming sooner than most anyone is thinking."
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He's certainly not alone in that thought, as the man many call the 'Godfather of AI' has previously outlined the threat that AI poses to the future of humanity, outlining the extreme wealth cap it will create over the next few years.
Additionally, in response to Fortune's article about his situation, Kay indicated that he doesn't "want to make this narrative about me. I want more people to be thinking seriously about AI's impact on jobs and the economy as we know it. Tariffs, politics.... it's all a distraction and irrelevant in scale, in the face of what's coming."
With reports of ChatGPT is breaking record user numbers and xAI allegedly illegally powering its plant due to excess demand, it's hard to see a future where AI investment doesn't continue to accelerate, and that'll only increase the risk that people's livelihoods will be removed.
Elon Musk has proposed that advancements in AI - particularly in conjunction with humanoid robots - would allow for a 'universal high income' to be implemented, effectively protecting those who have lost their jobs, but for people like Shawn Kay that doesn't help what they're facing right now.