Shadowing Practice: How AI is changing the job market - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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I have now been looking for a job for a year with more than 200 applications sent.
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I have now been looking for a job for a year with more than 200 applications sent.
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How much longer will I be kind of stuck in this limbo,
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I guess, between school and adulthood?
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Most people I know have been impacted by layoffs at least once, if not twice.
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Hey, it's Hannah here.
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Welcome to What in the World,
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the podcast for all of your news,
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trends and talking points from the BBC World Service.
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Applying for jobs is really tough.
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You've got to scour the internet for ads
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and then put in all of that time
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and mental energy on an application and that's before you've even found out if you've got an interview.
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But some people have been finding that process even harder than normal.
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They've been putting in loads of applications and never hearing back.
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And we've all heard the chat about AI taking our jobs
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and there have been some recent studies that suggest
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that AI is making it harder for younger people and grads to get their first jobs.
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So is AI after your job and what can you do to adapt?
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I'm speaking to Natalia Jimenez,
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a BBC reporter in New York.
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Hey, Natalia, welcome back.
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Hi, thank you so much for having me.
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Okay, so firstly, this chat about AI taking entry-level jobs,
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how big of a problem is it?
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What do the studies say?
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So, I mean, the quick answer is yes,
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we're going through an AI disruption phase.
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That's the phrase that you're often going to hear.
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So yes, AI is starting to replace jobs and particularly entry-level jobs.
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Those are the first on the chopping block.
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And that's because they're often administrative, they're digital, they're repetitive.
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They're basically jobs that AI can learn quite easily,
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make more efficient, go faster.
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That's very attractive to companies that are starting to look to cut costs.
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So, yes, young people are suffering the most.
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And we see that in the numbers, too.
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Stanford did a study, and it said that since late 2022,
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right when ChatGPT went big,
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people aged 22 to 25 have seen a 13 percent drop in jobs and roles that are easy for AI to handle.
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So I'm talking software development, marketing, customer service.
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Meanwhile, older workers are not affected in the same way.
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So that's why the study essentially calls young people canaries in the coal mine.
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There's a real problem because if people aren't being accepted at entry level,
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then they can't progress up the chain and then they can't get the expertise to get to those kind of more secure,
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mid and top level jobs,
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the ones where they have those soft skills that can't be imitated or replaced by AI.
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And of course, this isn't the only thing that's affecting the US job market at the moment.
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What are some of the other things that have been going on for young people?
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Right.
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So this is kind of part of a bigger shift.
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So we obviously have macroeconomic factors.
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So So after the pandemic,
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there was a chilling in the job market.
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Basically, people are hiring less.
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So that's one of the issues that we're dealing with, too.
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There is an oversaturated market.
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More people have college degrees.
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So there are more people applying for,
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you know, administrative jobs, less so,
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you know, jobs in retail.
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Those jobs in retail and health care,
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the ones that need a little bit more human interaction, they're still going.
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People are still hiring.
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Whereas the ones that need maybe a college degree in the sense of computer science,
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that was a job that was very,
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very in demand a few years ago,
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now that's starting to decline.
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So yeah, the macroeconomic shifts right now in the economy, it's not great.
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And then AI and then an oversaturated market.
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It's like the perfect storm.
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And let's hear it from some of you guys who got in touch and are looking for work.
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This is Zola in France.
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I work in the fields of arts and culture.
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I hold two master's degrees,
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one in political and social sciences and another one in cultural policy and administration.
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I have now been looking for a job for a year with more than 200 applications sent.
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I think that on my part,
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there is several frustrations that I'd like to highlight within this job hunting process.
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The lack of formal answers from employers,
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the disregard for experiences linked to your internship or traineeships or even voluntary contexts.
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I do not believe that AI should or can truly replace an artist
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or a playwright but it has been increasingly used to do so in several cases
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and so for me it is a growing political and ecological concern
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and we got this from laura in the us i just know
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so many people applying to jobs right now
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and right like every company not even tech anymore right the federal government entertainment media consulting finance they're all laying off people.
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So every industry is, you know, getting impacted.
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And right when more people are laid off,
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more people are looking for jobs,
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but there just aren't enough spots for everyone.
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I think it's so tough for young people to find jobs right now because right when companies are laying people off,
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they're usually laying off the most junior people, right?
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So they lay off the 20 somethings who just started working, right?
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That's what happened to me when they laid off my team at Google,
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it was all the newest hires, right?
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So everyone, basically everyone in their twenties got let go.
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I feel like most people I know have been impacted by layoffs at least once,
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if not twice, if not twice.
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And here is Tiffany Lee,
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a recent graduate from New York.
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The company that I worked at,
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I worked at Apple when I was an intern last summer.
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They didn't have the head count for another, like a full-time employee.
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And there are a lot less new grad opportunities.
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There used to be more specific new grad programs out there for seniors to apply to.
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Sometimes I'll feel more motivated and hopeful,
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especially if I've been interviewing or like I'm in like the later ends of an interview stage,
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I'll start feeling more hopeful or like imagining myself in this job already.
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But other times, you know,
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like I'll be like waking up in the middle of the night
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or like I can't sleep and I'm just thinking about how much longer will I be kind of stuck in this limbo,
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I guess, between school and adulthood.
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So it is a little sad sometimes,
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but I think it helps that I'm not alone and there are a lot of other people going through the same thing.
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And talking about what some of the big companies have said,
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you know, I've seen things from Duolingo
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and Amazon talking about how AI is going to change the
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way they hire in the future is the message being sent out from these big companies right now?
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So Amazon's CEO was pretty direct in a message he sent to employees back in June.
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He basically said that generative AI is going to reduce the corporate workforce over the next few years quite significantly.
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And that doesn't mean they're not going to hire anyone new.
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They're still going to bring in people to teams that are maybe a little bit more AI heavy,
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but they expect to need fewer BUT THEY EXPECT TO NEED FEWER HUMANS IN GENERAL.
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AND THAT'S GOING TO LAND ON YOUNGEST STAFF THE MOST.
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AGAIN, BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING THESE REPETITIVE JOBS.
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BUT THE ONES THAT NEED LESS JUDGMENT,
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LESS CRITICAL THINKING, THAT'S GOING TO BE REPLACED BY AI.
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THAT'S WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO WANT TO SAVE MONEY.
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AT DUOLINGO, THE CEO HAS SAID PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING.
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THEY'RE AI FIRST NOW.
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THEY ALREADY CUT CONTRACTORS.
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they're striking employees and not only that
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but they're actually using AI as part of their evaluation process
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so they're looking at how their employees are using AI in their day-to-day to make themselves more efficient
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so it's not just enough to do your tasks well the company now wants you to prove
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that you're using AI and you're thinking about how to improve the work you're doing with AI tools.
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So before they approve new hires,
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managers are also going to have to convince basically the company why AI can't do it and why they need a human.
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But AI is also changing the application process for people going for these jobs,
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both in terms of how the computers are now choosing,
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sorting through the CV, sorting through tapes that people might send in.
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So actually choosing who might make it to interview
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as well as people using AI to be able to write their CVs
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and applications and making it harder for them to stand out.
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Yeah, exactly.
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I mean, basically the job application process,
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and you'll hear this from a lot of young hires,
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young people in the workforce, that it is changing.
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Basically, when you used to apply for a job,
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people used to be involved pretty quickly.
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They used to look at your resume.
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They used to maybe give you a call, skim your skills.
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But now for lots of companies,
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the first reader is an algorithm.
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It's AI.
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Resumes are getting scanned by AI for keywords.
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Some firms are using AI chatbots to ask reading questions.
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Some AI programs are even analyzing video interviews to score your answers.
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So by the time a human actually looks at your application,
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you've already been ranked by a machine.
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So essentially, AI is going to be part of the most important segment of the hiring process,
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which is the beginning.
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So a lot of people,
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even in my close circle,
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the way that you're applying for a job has changed.
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You're going to look at the keywords
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that you need to put in your application to make sure that you get flagged or chosen by these AI tools.
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It's very formulaic.
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That's why a lot of my friends are like,
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I don't want to write a cover letter.
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I just want to go into my resume and put in those keywords
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that I need to get chosen because they know
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that a person is not going to look at their application until much later.
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Now let's hear the view from India.
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I'm speaking to Varun Maya,
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who is a YouTuber and founder of the generative AI company EOS.
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Hi.
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Hi.
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Thank you for inviting me.
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Yeah, it's great to speak to you.
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So you're based in India.
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How is AI affecting people's jobs there and which are the industries that are most affected?
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To be very honest, I don't think AI has really affected too many jobs in India,
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except for a little bit of exposure in software.
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In India, salaries aren't really, really high.
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So even if you are using a tool,
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an AI tool, you'd still want a human being to sort of use
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that tool and run it because the person has accountability,
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the person has context.
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But there's also this huge section of people in India and all over the world that,
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you know, for lack of a better word,
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their only job is to translate somebody else's instructions.
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Somebody else has made those decisions,
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has decided how it's going to be solved.
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And they're just translating that into code.
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You know, the original use case for Transformer was the technology behind LLMs was for translation.
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So if you are doing that last piece,
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somebody else has come up with the idea,
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somebody else has written the spec,
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somebody else is telling you this is exactly how you need to solve it,
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this is the algorithm you need to use.
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and then you're writing the code for it,
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yeah, then you're in trouble.
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I think we've had zero people in the team,
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in my avatar team, that have lost their jobs.
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So we've actually had more work and a larger team.
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In fact, the average creator of about 2 million followers across Instagram,
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YouTube, would have a team of about 10, 12 people.
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Our team is slightly larger now.
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It's about 16 people because the quantity of work,
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we're also in a very hyper-connected world.
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So this is not 10 years ago where you'd get like three or four opportunities.
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Now you're getting like 30, 40 opportunities a month.
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You want to take all of them on.
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So we keep expanding the team to absorb some of those opportunities.
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Farhan, I want to bring it back to grads and grad jobs,
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because there is relatively high youth unemployment in India.
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I think it's about 16 percent of under 24.
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So I want to ask you,
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given all of the changes to the job market and the technology that we have available,
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and particularly these roles that we've talked about,
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the ones that could easily be replaced by AI,
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What advice would you give to a grad or a student
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or a young person trying to get a job right now in all of these changes?
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What I found to be really great for youngsters is to look at an industry that's growing really fast,
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but there's increasing demand, but low supply of good talent or supply of tools are not very good.
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The tools are not very competent.
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And you feel you have a shot at beating those tools,
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not just today, but for the next two, three years.
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Farron, thank you so much for speaking to us.
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Thank you for having me.
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Natalia, what would your message be to people who are graduating now in this ever-changing world?
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See AI as your co-pilot.
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AI is going to take care of the menial tasks, the repetitive tasks.
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Now this is actually giving you an opportunity,
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for example, in college to maybe study things that are a little bit more considered soft skills.
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So again, you're going to study computer science.
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Why don't you go into philosophy?
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Why don't you go into psychology?
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basically experts are saying right now is what's valuable are soft skills,
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critical thinking, judgment, essentially what makes us human.
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So if you can tap into that,
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if you can tap into what AI doesn't have,
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what we can add to the AI process,
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you're actually maybe going to get a more fulfilling job experience.
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And again, industries like the healthcare industry or even the green tech industry.
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And what I mean by that is like,
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you know, let's say solar panel construction you're going to want to go to these industries that are using AI,
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but that also need people in order to think about the ethics of it,
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in order to think about how to improve these AI systems.
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We're really going to need to tap into who we are as humans
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and what makes us human in order to stay competitive in the job market.
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Natalia, thank you.
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Thank you.
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That's it from us.
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I hope you've enjoyed today's episode.
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Please do check out some of our other ones
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and also like, share, follow, subscribe you can find us right here on YouTube five days a week
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and two of those days we are chatting away here in the studio with some of your favourite guests.
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I'm Hannah, this is What in the World from the BBC World Service.
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We'll see you next time.
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Context & Background
In recent discussions about the evolving job market, particularly in the wake of AI advancements, many individuals, especially recent graduates, have found themselves struggling to secure employment. A common sentiment is one of frustration as candidates submit numerous applications, often without any feedback from potential employers. This has raised valid concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence replacing entry-level jobs, which are primarily repetitive and administrative. In a conversation led by Hannah, together with BBC reporter Nathalie Jimenez, they unpack the current landscape of job hunting among younger demographics, emphasizing that those aged 22 to 25 are facing significant challenges. The ongoing shifts in the job market, exacerbated by AI and economic factors, pose a unique challenge for young people stepping into adulthood.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “I have been looking for a job for a year.” – Expressing the duration of your job search.
- “Most people I know have been impacted by layoffs.” – Discussing the wider impact of employment changes.
- “Applying for jobs is really tough.” – Acknowledging the challenges involved in the job application process.
- “I think there are several frustrations.” – Identifying common feelings during job hunting.
- “AI is making it harder for younger people.” – Outlining a current concern regarding employment and technology.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
If you're looking to improve your English speaking skills using the shadowing technique, you can effectively utilize content from this video. Here’s how to tackle this specific video’s difficulty:
- Listen carefully: Play a segment of the video, ideally focusing on a single speaker at first. Pay attention to their tone and pronunciation.
- Rewind and repeat: Use the shadow speech method by repeating back what you've just heard, trying to match the speaker's rhythm and intonation. This enhances your spoken fluency.
- Utilize pauses: Pause the video after key phrases that caught your attention. Try to mimic not just the words but also the emotion and intent behind what was said.
- Explore vocabulary: Write down phrases from the list provided above. Use them in sentences of your own to familiarize yourself with their meanings and context.
- Practice regularly: Make shadowing practice a daily habit. Utilize a shadowspeaks approach by switching up phrases and contexts to solidify your understanding.
By effectively implementing this shadowing technique, you will enhance your English communication skills, prepare to engage in discussions about relevant topics such as the job market changes, and build your confidence in speaking.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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