What Gen Z is Booing Isn't AI, It's Their Own Disappearing Jobs

At recent commencement ceremonies, graduates booed AI-related speeches by prominent figures such as Eric Schmidt. This is not generational confusion about technology, but the result of accurately reading the labor market reality they are about to face.

Data backs up their concerns.

• ServiceNow's CEO warned that as AI absorbs white-collar entry-level work, unemployment among new graduates could reach 30%.
• Goldman Sachs analyzed that AI is eliminating about 16,000 U.S. jobs per month, with Gen Z bearing the greatest damage.
• Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei projected that AI could eliminate up to half of white-collar entry-level jobs.

The core of this shift lies in the skill gap. Unlike previous technological revolutions, this time experienced, skilled workers are the ones being protected. This is because "judgment about work context," which AI has difficulty replacing, is an asset held only by skilled workers. In contrast, entry-level workers lacking experience are in the most vulnerable position.

Companies are pursuing a strategy of increasing AI investment while cutting labor costs. Meta and Standard Chartered, among others, are carrying out large-scale workforce reductions citing AI reorganization. This is a structural phenomenon arising as companies secure productivity by converting wages into capex.

MIT's Andrew McAfee warns that automating entry-level jobs will ultimately destroy the talent pipeline that companies need to cultivate the skilled talent they will require.