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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
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John Quiggin

AI job layoffs are here: it’s time to revive the push for shorter working hours

lllustration of workers on ribbon highways
‘Discussions of the impact of AI take for granted that any reduction in total hours worked translates directly into a loss of jobs,’ writes Prof John Quiggin. Photograph: akindo/Getty Images

The announcement that Australian software giant Atlassian will lay off 10% of staff has brought the debate over artificial intelligence (AI) and jobs closer to home.

While a broader question about the usefulness of AI remains unresolved, there can be no remaining doubt that it has transformed the software industry, with developers reporting massive increases in productivity from the use of Anthropic’s AI-powered coding tool Claude.

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