Chris Stokel-Walker

Yeah, I mean, I think it will make it more difficult because we already know that there are... really tough times out there to try and find jobs. And I think that this won't be made any better by AI because the whole premise of AI is that it's going to make us more efficient. And so we need fewer people to do stuff and we need to reskill in order to work with AI.

Yeah, I mean, I think it will make it more difficult because we already know that there are... really tough times out there to try and find jobs. And I think that this won't be made any better by AI because the whole premise of AI is that it's going to make us more efficient. And so we need fewer people to do stuff and we need to reskill in order to work with AI.

I interviewed a guy called Jeffrey Hinton last month. He's commonly called one of the godfathers of AI. He's often asked, as someone who knows more than the average person about AI, what children should be doing, because obviously anxious parents are always worried. And he said, train as a plumber.

I interviewed a guy called Jeffrey Hinton last month. He's commonly called one of the godfathers of AI. He's often asked, as someone who knows more than the average person about AI, what children should be doing, because obviously anxious parents are always worried. And he said, train as a plumber.

So that's kind of the thing that I think we have to bear in mind is those manual labor jobs, I think will be more in demand at the same time as those kind of Traditionally, white-collar jobs will be less in demand. The IMF put out a recent study that said 40% of all jobs worldwide could be affected in some way by AI. Doesn't mean completely replaced, just means changed. But it said 40%.

So that's kind of the thing that I think we have to bear in mind is those manual labor jobs, I think will be more in demand at the same time as those kind of Traditionally, white-collar jobs will be less in demand. The IMF put out a recent study that said 40% of all jobs worldwide could be affected in some way by AI. Doesn't mean completely replaced, just means changed. But it said 40%.

And most of those, ironically, compared to the Industrial Revolution, where it's a blue-collar displacement, will be white-collar jobs and will be in more economically developed countries, including the West and the Global North.

And most of those, ironically, compared to the Industrial Revolution, where it's a blue-collar displacement, will be white-collar jobs and will be in more economically developed countries, including the West and the Global North.

I really do wonder whether when they were discussing and signing off this plan in cabinet, they just kind of locked Ed Miliband in a separate room. Because this is like, yes, you're right. There is a huge environmental impact towards AI. And one of the challenges that we have

I really do wonder whether when they were discussing and signing off this plan in cabinet, they just kind of locked Ed Miliband in a separate room. Because this is like, yes, you're right. There is a huge environmental impact towards AI. And one of the challenges that we have

is the AI companies hold the information about how much environmental impact there is, and they don't tell us at the minute. We have best guesses by academics, but they are just that, guesses. It doesn't take a genius to realize that if a company isn't willing to tell the whole truth about something, then perhaps there might be something that they want to hide a little bit there.

is the AI companies hold the information about how much environmental impact there is, and they don't tell us at the minute. We have best guesses by academics, but they are just that, guesses. It doesn't take a genius to realize that if a company isn't willing to tell the whole truth about something, then perhaps there might be something that they want to hide a little bit there.

One of the things I think that AI companies do say is, well, and this is a common refrain, we've talked about this already with jobs, is yes, there is a short-term environmental impact. But in the long term, if we get this right, then AI systems can find better, more economical, more environmentally friendly ways of powering our energy systems, of doing all of this stuff.

One of the things I think that AI companies do say is, well, and this is a common refrain, we've talked about this already with jobs, is yes, there is a short-term environmental impact. But in the long term, if we get this right, then AI systems can find better, more economical, more environmentally friendly ways of powering our energy systems, of doing all of this stuff.

We can better use the energy that we do have, provided that we use the AI technology that is currently draining. our energy system and causing such a demand on our water supplies and elsewhere. Whether you choose to believe that is kind of, I guess, your tolerance of belief in tech companies to do the right thing.

We can better use the energy that we do have, provided that we use the AI technology that is currently draining. our energy system and causing such a demand on our water supplies and elsewhere. Whether you choose to believe that is kind of, I guess, your tolerance of belief in tech companies to do the right thing.

I'm a tech skeptic tech reporter, and I speak to this really interesting expert called Sasha Luciani. She works for a company called Hugging Face. She's their AI and climate lead. She has tried constantly to get these numbers out of those companies, and they just won't give them. And that gives her real concerns in the long run.

I'm a tech skeptic tech reporter, and I speak to this really interesting expert called Sasha Luciani. She works for a company called Hugging Face. She's their AI and climate lead. She has tried constantly to get these numbers out of those companies, and they just won't give them. And that gives her real concerns in the long run.

We do. And another stat that might be useful to try and bring it home to our listeners is that every time that you interact with ChatGPT and ask it 20 questions back and forth, that's equivalent of pouring a bottle of water that you would get from WH Smiths or whatever down the drain. The reason why this water usage is happening is because essentially

We do. And another stat that might be useful to try and bring it home to our listeners is that every time that you interact with ChatGPT and ask it 20 questions back and forth, that's equivalent of pouring a bottle of water that you would get from WH Smiths or whatever down the drain. The reason why this water usage is happening is because essentially