- Eben Upton says AI could put young people off tech jobs
- This could hurt the economy due to a shortage of engineers
- Some are overhyping the capabilities of AI tools and technology
Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton has warned AI is making people less likely to pursue tech jobs, and could therefore hurt the economy of the future.
Speaking to the BBC's Big Boss Interview podcast, Upton said that the technology could “distort people's choices in ways that make that skill shortage worse and not better.”
Tech layoffs have surpassed 100,000 in 2026 so far, with many attributed to companies' usage of AI.
AI is putting people off tech jobs
Upton added there is a level of overestimation of what AI chatbots can do, adding that this could “undo a lot of the good work that's been done, not just by Raspberry Pi, but by a lot of other organisations.”
Upton founded Raspberry Pi in 2012 in order to provide an engaging way for young people to get involved in computing and programming.
Those who have built a foundational level of understanding for a tech role during their education who would then expect to further their knowledge in a place of work have found that the positions they would typically apply for are shrinking. The work that a decade ago would have been done by an entry level employee is instead handed off to an AI tool instead.
This in turn creates a self-feeding problem: how do you replace senior staff members that retire or move jobs if there isn’t a pool of talent to pick from?
Upton added his concern for parents worried about the direction their children’s education could take. “You read in the paper: 'What guidance should you give your child about what GCSEs to choose in the context of an AI future?' We have no data to inform a rational decision on that.”
"The answer is: wait five years, wait 10 years, and then maybe we might know something,” Upton added.
When asked if these problems could hurt the economy, Upton responded, “Absolutely. We need a supply of engineers."
