{
  "id": 173063,
  "title": "Growth without work: The human cost of the AI revolution",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/growth-without-work-the-human-cost-of-the-ai-revolution",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-05T10:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Rest of World Tech",
    "slug": "rest-of-world-tech",
    "url": "https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-jobs-economy-impact/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The human cost of the AI revolution is stark, with millions facing job displacement. In India, thousands of transcriptionists in Manila have lost their livelihoods, as have call center operators in Nairobi and customer support roles in Colombia. Even jobs in creative fields like bioengineering, mathematics, and editing are at risk, with 72% of editors now vulnerable to automation. Even as some industries seem secure, workers are finding their roles replaced by AI. This wave of automation is far-reaching, targeting not just manual labor but also cognitive professions. The financial and IT sectors are feeling the impact the most, with AI taking over tasks once handled by junior analysts, developers, and risk modelers. The potential for AI to automate a quarter of all work is looming, which could erase the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs. The labor landscape is set to change dramatically, leaving millions behind. In India, the IT sector has already shed over 500,000 jobs, and experts warn that up to 70% of IT roles could disappear. Globally, the technology sector is undergoing deep workforce restructuring, leading to layoffs across 257 companies and over 244,000 tech workers being cut worldwide. The benefits of AI are not evenly distributed, and the costs are severe, falling hardest on the young, clerical workers, women, and those in the Global South. The future of work is being rewritten, leaving many without the skills to adapt.",
  "summary": "In an excerpt from his book “The New Divide: Power, Control & the Cost of AI,” writer Jibu Elias examines the technology’s impact on jobs.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}