I'll probably lose my job to AI. Here's why that's OK | Megan J. McArdle

TED Talks Daily

2025/06/27

Overview Shownote Highlights Transcript Chapters Pins

Shownote

Artificial intelligence could cost many of us our careers — but that doesn’t mean we should stop its development, says journalist Megan J. McArdle. As she watches AI encroach on her own craft, she shares a fresh take on the 19th-century Luddites, who tried...

Highlights

As artificial intelligence reshapes the workforce, one journalist confronts the uncomfortable reality of progress: innovation often comes at a human cost. Rather than resist it outright, she suggests we reconsider our response to disruption through the lens of history.

03:25

We should bear the costs of progress as we are beneficiaries of past decisions for future growth.

06:42

The long-term benefits of technological progress are hard to grasp but transformative.

Chapters

What happens when the job you love is threatened by machines?

00:00

Can destroying technology save livelihoods — or just delay the inevitable?

03:25

Why stopping progress to protect jobs might cost us more in the long run

06:42

How do we support workers without sacrificing the future?

10:04

Transcript

Elise Hu: You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. How do we celebrate progress and innovation while also acknowledging the fear of losing one's job to, say, AI? In this t...