Facing Loss of Self-Worth in a World Where Technology Takes Over Skillsets
In the early months of this year, I faced a period of profound emotional distress, captured in an audio message I sent to a family member. This message has since become a video montage, reflecting the intense toll of the past six months as a displaced worker struggling to reenter the tech sector. The factors contributing to my situation are numerous: market saturation, tech companies streamlining operations with AI, and the overutilization of technologies in the job application process, leading to nearly 100% resume rejection due to formatting issues.
According to a Forbes article, the statistics are stark and telling. In April alone, an average of 65,000 jobs were lost due to AI, with 2,100 displaced workers each day attempting to reenter the workforce. These figures add to the growing number of displaced workers from previous months, creating a snowball effect with no apparent end.
Financial hardship has compounded these challenges. My savings have been completely depleted, and I've gone from a six-figure salary as the Director of Business Intelligence at an accounting firm to an income of $0 overnight. This sudden financial and emotional burden has been overwhelming.
Adding to the distress is witnessing the rise of technology, specifically AI, that threatens to render my decade-long skillset as a data analyst obsolete. Tools like ChatGPT, developed by American tech CEOs, have evolved to perform tasks once thought to be exclusive to human expertise. The capabilities of ChatGPT, as demonstrated below, highlight its potential to replace roles like mine.
This sense of losing my place in society as a contributor has been devastating. Watching a technology I have no control over becoming increasingly smarter with each release from OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman, I've struggled with a loss of self-worth.
The montage above depicts my mental state during this tumultuous period. I had never been diagnosed with depression or anxiety before, but the wave of job displacement, as recently highlighted by the IMF's Chief, has left me feeling unprepared and vulnerable. The tech industry, the sector most impacted by these changes, has borne the brunt of these disruptions.
The effects are not limited to tech alone. Multiple sectors have felt these waves, from Hollywood writers striking for 4.5 months this past summer to various industries facing similar challenges. I believed my specific skillset in data analysis, dealing with numbers and data rather than text, would be safe from AI advancements. I was wrong. The latest advancements in ChatGPT, as shown in the video below, have proven otherwise.
Sharing my personal struggles online is part of my advocacy efforts to shed light on an unseen and unspoken job crisis in America. This crisis has been unfolding for half a year and shows no signs of slowing down, contrary to the optimistic projections in recent Forbes articles. The Wall Street Journal has highlighted this ongoing issue, revealing the true scale of the challenge we face.
The message is clear: we must recognize and address the profound impact of AI on the workforce. As a society, we need to support displaced workers, advocate for ethical AI practices, and prepare for the ongoing waves of job disruption. Only by doing so can we hope to navigate this transformative period with resilience and humanity.
#DemandEthicalAI #VoiceForChange
