Sunday, May 18, 2025

AI is Squeezing the Middle Class

We all hear about AI taking jobs, but nobody’s saying who’s really at risk. It’s not factory workers or CEOs, but  office staff, accountants, and mid-level managers. These jobs aren’t disappearing overnight, but they’re being hollowed out. AI does their tasks faster and cheaper. The result? Fewer opportunities, lower wages, and a shrinking middle class.

High-paid professionals are fine. Lawyers, executives, and tech workers use AI to do more in less time. Low-wage workers such as waiter and caregivers are still needed because robots can’t replace human touch. But the middle are stuck. Their jobs are the easiest to automate, and their skills aren’t special enough to demand higher pay.

This isn’t just about unemployment. It’s about inequality. When the middle weakens, the economy tilts. The rich get richer because they own the AI tools. The poor stay poor because their jobs don’t pay enough to move up. And the middle slide into gig work or lower-paying roles.

Pretending AI won’t change anything is foolish. We need training programs for new kinds of jobs, better wages for service work, and maybe even taxes on AI that replaces humans. If we don’t act, we’ll end up with a two-tier society with no middle class.

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