The rise of AI is making the future of work look bleak – but it could be an opportunity | AI (artificial intelligence)

The rise of AI is making the future of work look bleak – but it could be an opportunity | AI (artificial intelligence)

The rise of AI is making the future of work look bleak – but it could be an opportunity | AI (artificial intelligence)

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2026/feb/19/ai-work-future

Publish Date: 2026-02-19 08:00:00

Source Domain: www.theguardian.com

Here are four summarized points based on the article:

  • Technological Advancements and Job Anxiety: There’s widespread concern about artificial intelligence taking over jobs, which is shaping current workplace anxieties, displacing earlier trends like quiet quitting and union movements.

  • Class Unity against AI: The fear of AI is fostering a sense of class consciousness among both higher and lower-income workers, potentially leading to larger working-class movements for dignity and better treatment in the workplace.

  • Labor Movement Resurgence: The prevailing anxiety around AI presents an opportunity for the labor movement to reclaim power, challenging the long-standing imbalance of power between employers and employees.

  • Future of Technology and Work: The impact of AI on the future of work remains uncertain, and the technology’s direction can be a choice. Worker-driven governance of AI could mitigate the fear and threats associated with it, fostering an era of shared prosperity instead of a surveillance economy.

These points capture the essence of how AI’s rise is reshaping perceptions of job security, power dynamics, and the potential for a renewed labor movement.