'Graduates have been mis-sold a promise': how AI is stealing the entry-level jobs

There was outrage when tech company Artisan plastered the London underground with adverts exhorting employers to “stop hiring humans” — and opt for one of their so-called AI employees instead. But the viral marketing stunt hit a particularly raw nerve for graduates looking for their first job.

“It’s a horrendous time to be a graduate,” Sally Wynter, a young London entrepreneur running a popular TikTok account dedicated to helping people find their first jobs, tells me. “Junior roles are shrinking. Companies are actively hiring less junior talent. Previous years’ graduates from 2023-24 are still looking for their first role, [which is] bumping up competition.”