So, the CEO of Anthropic (“one of the world’s most powerful creators of artificial intelligence”) says we need to “get real” about entry-level white-collar jobs in the next few years. Pay attention! “Eyes open” to the coming job displacement.
This Axios article (much in the news cycle this past week) heralds the challenge which AI poses to the workforce. The need to build awareness, generally and among public officials. Beyond public-facing search engines and chatbots. The need for transparency on all sides (beyond the hype). The need for collective steering.
“What’s different here is both the speed at which this AI transformation could hit, and the breadth of industries and individual jobs that will be profoundly affected.”
“Market forces are going to keep propelling AI toward human-like reasoning.”
• Axios > Behind the Curtain > “AI jobs danger: Sleepwalking into a white-collar bloodbath” by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen (May 28, 2025) – AI is breaking ‘the bottom rungs of the career ladder.’
(quotes)
Few are paying attention. Lawmakers don’t get it or don’t believe it. CEOs are afraid to talk about it. Many workers won’t realize the risks posed by the possible job apocalypse — until after it hits.Here’s how Amodei [CEO of Anthropic] and others fear the white-collar bloodbath is unfolding:
- OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and other large AI companies keep vastly improving the capabilities of their large language models (LLMs) to meet and beat human performance with more and more tasks. This is happening and accelerating.
- The U.S. government, worried about losing ground to China or spooking workers with preemptive warnings, says little. The administration and Congress neither regulate AI nor caution the American public. This is happening and showing no signs of changing.
- Most Americans, unaware of the growing power of AI and its threat to their jobs, pay little attention. This is happening, too.
Being “it,” many CEOs are embracing – seeking – AI alignment in their workplace, rather than hiding – staying pat on hiring practices. So, “ready or not, here AI comes.”
So how long wait without penalty and “Olly olly oxen free?”
• Axios > “Ready or not, AI is starting to replace people” by Scott Rosenberg (May 30, 2025) – Business pushes replacing people with AI, but is AI ready?
(quotes)
Coming for your jobs, ready or not. Answers are in progress … “We’re all in on this!” On the bleeding edge … Become a prompt engineer! Focus on what only you can do! (Like nuanced situations, eh.)
Does “AI first” = “Employees last?”
When I worked in aerospace, often my effort focused on process engineering (and managing change). Including modernization of legacy systems. As a systems engineer, I realized that there was a difference between “doing something right and doing the right thing.” As noted in the article below, “Thoughtful implementation.”
Making tasks more efficient depended on understanding complex workflows and interdependencies (in a lifecycle context). And that included a transition phase, with staff training and support.
• Washington Post > “No AI, no job. These companies are requiring workers to use the tech” by Danielle Abril (June 3, 2025) – The “AI-first” bandwagon.
Additional references
• Sourceforge > “79% of Companies Now Use AI Agents” by Community Team (June 1, 2025) – Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transitioned from a futuristic concept to a tangible asset in the business world.
• WSJ > “The AI Experience Is Going From ’50 First Dates’ to ‘Cheers’” by Steven Rosenbush (May 29, 2025) – Artificial intelligence is entering what might be known as its “Cheers” era, when every chatbot will know your name.
• Wired (event registration) > “Rethink AI” [a digital event] – How to Unlock Meaningful Value in the New Age of Business” – June 20th (2025)
A case study in … ready or not … move fast and … to replace staff … the FDA.
• Ars Technica > “FDA rushed out agency-wide AI tool – it’s not going well” by Beth Mole (June 5, 2025) – FDA Commissioner highlighted the speed with which the tool was rolled out.