The conversation around AI and jobs usually starts with the same question: Will robots replace us? It’s an anxiety-laden debate that imagines a near future where human workers are rendered obsolete by smarter, faster, cheaper machines. But that narrative may be missing a more subtle and dangerous truth. What if AI isn’t here to replace us but to quietly devalue us?
Think about it: you still have your job. Most of your friends probably do, too. But wages are stagnating, workloads are increasing, and the quality of what’s considered “acceptable work” is shifting. AI hasn’t taken over your role. It’s just made it easier to pay you less, expect more, and question the worth of your contribution. And that’s a very different kind of threat.
