Written by and for people in AI-endangered industries. Hopeful tales, cautionary tales, and helpful tips from those of us who have moved on to alternative sources of income. Evidence-based, two feet on the ground. We're not here to break the machines, we're here to figure out what best to do next.

Updates every sometimes, as we figure this thing out.

One author’s story

Up to 2020 my main job was translating campsite descriptions. It was boring, it was repetitive. It was also about two thirds of my income. Stable and enduring, I knew I could always depend on my “braindead work” to pay my rent while pursuing more interesting jobs and hobbies.

Until I couldn’t.

So what should I do now?

Find the kind of translation work machines can’t do? Sure, that kind of work exists, but there is not much of it, and there are so many other translators out there with the same problem that the rates have gone down to unliveable levels.

Work with the machine? Voices in the translation industry are saying that this is the way to go. Human translators act as a second pair of eyes to check the work the machines do. Translation becomes much quicker, therefore much cheaper, which increases demand, which means there are still enough jobs for everyone.

Great in theory, but I haven’t been able to find jobs like this.

Retrain? But to what? I could teach my languages, but people are saying those jobs are going to be taken over by machines as well. Become a programmer? There used to be huge demand, but that’s being done by AI too, now, especially the basic jobs which is where I would start.

In 1812, disgruntled weavers in England who were seeing their work taken over by water-powered weaving mills revolted and smashed the machines. This did not work out well for them. I don’t want to smash any machines. I just want to know what to do.

There must be so many others out there with the same problem, but I couldn’t find any level-headed, evidence-based information. Just contradictory opinions and unhelpful doom scenarios.

So here I am.