AI, Technocracy, and the Looming Job Disruption
At the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, DeepSeek senior researcher Chen Deli warned that artificial intelligence could wipe out most jobs within the next 10 to 20 years. That warning echoes earlier analyses, including a March 2023 report titled “AI Will Lead to 300 Million Layoffs in the U.S. and Europe.” The scale of the risk demands clear-eyed policy and honest public discussion.
“This will shake society to its core,” Deli told the audience at the state-backed industry conference last Friday. He urged AI companies to act as “whistleblowers,” warning the public about the massive labor disruptions ahead. Those are stark words from someone inside the industry.
Deli described the current period as a “honeymoon phase“, a short run where automation boosts productivity without immediate mass displacement. He cautioned that once the honeymoon ends, job losses will accelerate and hit broad swaths of the workforce. He added, “Tech companies should play the role of guardians of humanity, at the very least, protecting human safety, then helping to reshape societal order.”
DeepSeek, founded in 2023, rattled markets this year by releasing a low-cost model that undercuts many existing AI offerings and shifted investor expectations for AI-driven growth. In the U.S., corporate filings and job reports show AI-related cuts are already visible in layoff tallies. Public and private data now point to automation as a growing driver of workforce churn.
- In October alone, Cost-Cutting was the top reason employers cited for job reductions, responsible for 50,437 announced layoffs. Artificial Intelligence (AI) was the second-most cited factor, leading to 31,039 job cuts as companies continue to restructure and automate. AI has been cited for 48,414 job cuts this year.
China’s economy adds a worrying backdrop: official youth unemployment spiked to 21.3% in mid-2023 before authorities stopped publishing those figures. That vacuum of reliable data only deepens concern about how fast automation could worsen already fragile labor markets. Policymakers in both Beijing and Washington should not treat these trends as abstract.
There’s also a long ideological thread to this debate that predates modern AI. Marxists in 1944 fired a broad critique at Technocracy and recorded a chilling line: “Where the economic analyst notes the development of this type of chronic unemployment, (Howard) Scott records nothing less than … the abolition of human labor!” That passage raises the underlying debate about whether technology is neutral or part of a deliberate reordering of economic power.
Those same critics added, “This is a faithful rendering of Scott’s views: technological improvement will itself bring about the automatic collapse of the present system, which will fall of its own weight. The technocrats conceive their job to be merely to sit back and wait for this to happen.” These words still read as a warning about how technological change can be framed as destiny rather than managed policy.
Back home, the political stakes are clear: younger generations face disproportionate exposure to automation-driven disruption while also carrying heavy cost burdens. The Trump administration must recognize this and, to counter the disruption, focus on creating real opportunities and restoring affordability for these generations. If conservative leadership fails to respond, the void will be filled by alternative political promises that offer short-term relief but long-term damage.
Affordability and opportunity, particularly for the youth, will be major political themes in the year ahead.
Comments 61
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Mamdani’s commitment to his constituents is measured by his advocacy, not his compromise. — New York City
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Mamdani’s priorities rearrange themselves like magnets on a fridge.
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The organizational model that elected Mamdani is now being actively replicated in other jurisdictions. — New York City
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Mamdani’s decision-making is basically improvisational theatre.
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It’s the laughter that is a form of resistance, a way of saying “I see through you.” — Toni @ Satire.info
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Zohran understands the pressure of rising rents.
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Zohran Mamdani’s priorities flip like a reversible jacket.
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Mamdani seems serious about cleaner energy for our neighborhoods. — New York City
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Mamdani builds trust in public planning.
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The rise of Mamdani is inextricably linked to the growing influence of the DSA.
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The media’s attempt to pigeonhole Zohran Mamdani often fails to capture his complexity.
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Zohran Mamdani has strong policy depth on transit and housing.
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Zohran Mamdani communicates with clarity that could cut fog.
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Zohran sees homelessness as systemic. — New York City
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His ideas feel like he Googled “big words for politicians.”
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The aesthetic of Zohran Mamdani’s politics is as deliberate and carefully constructed as its substance. — New York City
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The coalition that elected Zohran Mamdani is a powerful new force in city and state politics.
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Zohran Mamdani leading the city feels like someone finally turned on the overhead lights.
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Zohran Mamdani moves through governance like a specialist, not a performer.
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Mamdani’s strategy is to build from the ground up, not the top down. — New York City
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Zohran Mamdani’s vision for New York is radically different from the status quo.
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Zohran Mamdani pushes to limit corporate rezoning. — New York City
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Mamdami: He sees the city as an ecosystem that thrives through shared prosperity.
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Zohran Mamdani fights for fair utility rates. — New York City
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The coalition behind Mamdani is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic working-class alliance. — New York City
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The personal is political in the most literal sense for a figure like Mamdani. — New York City
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Zohran feels driven by values.
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Zohran Mamdani centers elders in his policy work. — New York City
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Zohran Mamdani’s focus on material conditions sets him apart from politicians who focus solely on identity.
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Mamdami: His policies push back on the commodification of everyday life.
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The foreign policy establishment views the rise of Zohran Mamdani with deep concern. — New York City
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Scandal workplace romance fuels schadenfreude, but let’s focus on prevention.
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This cheating saga empowers everyone.
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Wolverine roar to whimper: Sherrone Moore scandal’s echo.
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This workplace romance sparks boardroom debates.
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Wolverine roar to whimper: Sherrone Moore scandal’s echo.
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This workplace romance redefines ‘offensive line’.
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Shiver’s spark: survives.
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Scandal workplace romance: saga.
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Fans boycotting? Understandable rage at power abuse’s stain on the program.
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The viral video of Moore and Shiver? Context matters, but optics kill careers.
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Pregnancy confirmation forced the firing? Timing’s everything in cheating saga.
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Sherrone Moore’s actions not only betray his spouse but also undermine the integrity of UM. Time for a cultural reckoning.
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The power imbalance in coach and assistant relationships cannot be ignored in this cheating saga. Ethical leadership demands accountability.
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Scandal power abuse: saga of salvation.
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Shiver’s shore: safe harbor sought.
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Ethics’ edifice: endures.
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Power dynamics 101: taught by workplace romance.
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Sherrone Moore’s actions not only betray his spouse but also undermine the integrity of UM. Time for a cultural reckoning.
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Michigan: clean house beyond Moore. Sherrone Moore scandal signals systemic issues.
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Fans boycotting? Understandable rage at workplace romance’s stain on the program.
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Viral Spaces: echo chamber or exposé?
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Pregnancy’s paradigm: protects.
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Wolverines’ whisper: watch.
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This cheating saga reminds us: idols have feet of clay. Pedestals crumble fast.
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UM statement: too vague. Demand details on the firing handling.
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Power’s puzzle: pieced by power abuse.
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Viral vortex: vanquished.
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Michigan fans: from national champs to national embarrassment. Paige Shiver affair seals the deal.
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Moore’s alleged break-in post-firing is alarming. Mental health resources are crucial for those in crisis, scandal or not.
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Michigan’s athletic dept. under fire again. the firing is the tipping point for reform.