- China stocks soar on stimulus, Europe slides on automaker woes
- German antitrust watchdog steps up monitoring of Microsoft
- Nepal's urban poor count cost of 'nightmare' floods
- E.Guinea, Gabon clash at ICJ over oil-rich islands
- New blow for UK's Starmer as growth data disappoints
- China's top banks to tweak mortgage rates to boost housing market
- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
AI anxiety: workers fret over uncertain future
The tidal wave of artificial intelligence (AI) barrelling toward many professions has generated deep anxiety among workers fearful that their jobs will be swept away -- and the mental health impact is rising.
The launch in November 2022 of ChatGPT, the generative AI platform capable of handling complex tasks on command, marked a tech landmark as AI started to transform the workplace.
"Anything new and unknown is anxiety-producing," Clare Gustavsson, a New York therapist whose patients have shared concerns about AI, told AFP.
"The technology is growing so fast, it is hard to gain sure footing."
Legal assistants, programmers, accountants and financial advisors are among those professions feeling threatened by generative AI that can quickly create human-like prose, computer code, articles or expert insight.
Goldman Sachs analysts see generative AI impacting, if not eliminating, some 300 million jobs, according to a study published in March.
"I anticipate that my job will become obsolete within the next 10 years," Eric, a bank teller, told AFP, declining to give his second name.
"I plan to change careers. The bank I work for is expanding AI research."
- Trying to 'embrace the unknown' -
New York therapist Meris Powell told AFP of an entertainment professional worried about AI being used in film and television production -- a threat to actors and screenwriters that is a flashpoint in strikes currently gripping Hollywood.
"It's mainly people who are in creative fields who are at the forefront of that concern," Gustavsson said.
AI is bringing with it a level of apprehension matched by climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, she contended.
But she said that she tries to get patients to "embrace the unknown" and find ways to use new technology to their advantage.
For one graphic animator in New York, the career-threatening shock came from seeing images generated by AI-infused software such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion that rivaled the quality of those created by humans.
"People started to realize that some of the skills they had developed and specialized in could possibly be replaced by AI," she told AFP, adding she had honed her coding skills, but now feels even that has scant promise in an AI world.
"I'll probably lean into more of a management-level role," she said. "It's just hard because there are a lot less of those positions.
"Before I would just pursue things that interested me and skills that I enjoy. Now I feel more inclined to think about what's actually going to be useful and marketable in the future."
Peter Vukovic, who has been chief technology officer at several startups, expects just one percent or less of the population to benefit from AI.
"For the rest, it's a gray area," Vukovic, who lives in Bosnia, said. "There is a lot of reason for 99 percent of people to be concerned."
AI is focused on efficiency and making money, but it could be channeled to serve other purposes, Vukovic said.
"What's the best way for us to use this?" he asked. "Is it really just to automate a bunch of jobs?"
O.Hansen--CPN