My Take | China’s Confucian AI vs America’s oligarchic version

China’s Confucian AI vs America’s oligarchic version

Chinese officials and bosses have shown a sense of social responsibility towards citizens and workers. The tech bros in the US are happy to take artificial intelligence wherever they want, as long as they come out on top

Nowadays in the United States, if you are a commencement speaker at a university graduation ceremony, you may want to avoid mentioning artificial intelligence (AI).

Recent speakers at the University of Central Florida, the University of Arizona and Marquette University were all booed for touting AI. Students at the University of South Carolina and the University of Indianapolis protested their institutions’ partnership with AI firms. In contrast, speaking at Harvard, comedian Ronny Chieng was wildly cheered by graduating students when he shouted, “Fxxk AI!” The event has gone viral online.

Young Americans are souring on AI. In a recent Gallup poll, Gen Z respondents (usually those born between 1997 and 2012) have grown considerably less “excited” and “hopeful” about AI, but “angrier” and more “anxious” this year than last year.

This may seem strange at first. Young people are usually quicker to adopt new technologies, and America has been at the forefront of innovation during the post-war period.

But consider this. US university graduates today are facing the toughest job market since the last financial crisis of 2007-08. And the biggest tech firms – which also happen to be the biggest AI investors – have been sacking workers left and right.

Last month recorded the most number of workers laid off in almost two years amid a frenzied AI spending spree, by targeting more than 38,000 jobs. So far this year, the industry has announced more than 123,000 cuts, up more than 65 per cent from the same period last year. Employment for workers aged 22 to 25 in the most AI-exposed occupations – such as software development and customer support – has dropped by 13 per cent since 2022.