Karen Jeffrey's Avatar

Karen Jeffrey

@karenojeffrey.bsky.social

AI, labour markets, & policy responses PhD in #PoliticalEconomy, King's College London Postdoc in #MedicalInformatics, University of Edinburgh karenjeffrey.github.io

488 Followers  |  524 Following  |  16 Posts  |  Joined: 25.11.2024  |  1.8065

Latest posts by karenojeffrey.bsky.social on Bluesky

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How AI became our personal assistant New data shows the ways millions have integrated the technology into their everyday lives

Fascinating piece on usage of different AI assistants + a warning: ⚠️ "If you slip into just asking it to do [all your thinking] every time, it’s going to be very hard to get out of.” ⚠️ ig.ft.com/ai-personal-... @data.ft.com @financialtimes.com

07.10.2025 08:11 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Generative AI and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from the United Kingdom This paper examines the effects of large language models (LLMs) on UK labor market outcomes. We use a difference-indifferences design that compares outcomes acr

🧠 New analysis of LinkedIn posts finds junior workers are feeling the brunt of generative AI's impact on the labour markets. Fascinating work by @bkleinteeselink.bsky.social

📄 papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

02.10.2025 19:49 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

🔬Radiology looks like THE job #AI should replace - involving image recognition, standardised tasks, & huge salaries ($520k avg).

But human radiologists are busier than ever due to messy training data, liability risk, and elastic demand.

Does the same apply to other occupations, and will it last?

29.09.2025 15:11 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Is biology necessary for consciousness? A response to Seth's paper on biological naturalism In this post, I explain why I think that Anil Seth’s recent paper does not make a convincing argument that phenomenal consciousness is inherently biological and that therefore artificial intelligence ...

Can only biological organisms ever be conscious?

Yes, argues @anilseth.bsky.social in a recent paper on biological naturalism.

I'm less convinced, and have written an in-depth response in a blog post here:

davidpreichert.substack.com/p/is-biology-necessary-for-consciousness

29.09.2025 10:22 — 👍 19    🔁 3    💬 4    📌 0
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America’s top companies keep talking about AI — but can’t explain the upsides FT analysis of hundreds of filings suggest the S&P 500 businesses are clearer about the risks than benefits

More than a hint of irony here? The FT pessimistic about the potential business benefits of AI, based on analysis by the FT... done using AI.

Seems hasty to write off AI due to little impact on the bottom line so far. Chat GPT was released less than 3 years ago. Change takes time on.ft.com/4ngEbKW

23.09.2025 09:09 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Zoom’s CEO agrees with Bill Gates, Jensen Huang, and Jamie Dimon: A 3-day workweek is coming soon thanks to AI | Fortune Zoom leader Eric Yuan admits that the technology will erase some human jobs—but those who keep their jobs will enjoy fewer working days.

Zoom's CEOs predicts a 3-day work week is coming, thanks to AI.

I’d love to see it, but it’s hard to imagine such a dramatic shift.

Though the CEO of Zoom must know a thing or two about radical and unexpected changes in the way we work... 😜

fortune.com/2025/09/15/z...

16.09.2025 21:47 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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💭When AI automates, firms may prefer to avoid hiring new entrants than to let existing staff go 🤔

My take on @erikbryn.bsky.social & @stanfordhai.bsky.social's finding that younger workers are hit hardest by AI

#AIandWork #FutureOfWork
🔗 bit.ly/4nl6G9W

10.09.2025 10:48 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Student Scholarships in Scotland | The Data Lab We provide student scholarships in a range of approved MSc courses at scottish universities with a focus in data and AI.

🎓 Fully-funded master’s scholarships are still available for October 2025 start dates at top universities!

Check the full list of supported courses here: thedatalab.com/students/sch...

09.09.2025 09:01 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton: ‘AI will make a few people much richer and most people poorer’ The ‘godfather of artificial intelligence’ on ‘the only hope’ for humanity, why China has an advantage — and when machines will outstrip us

The ever candid, Geoff Hinton "...people are going to use AI to replace workers. It’s going to create massive unemployment and a huge rise in profits. It will make a few people much richer and most people poorer. That’s not AI’s fault, that is the capitalist system.” on.ft.com/4niqU4h

05.09.2025 14:21 — 👍 1    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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Large Language Models, Small Labor Market Effects Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...

Agree - it's a fiendishly tough puzzle. Diff-in-diff on outcomes for workers more and less exposed to automation seems like a promising approach (assuming parallel trends hold) as per Humlum & Vestergaard www.nber.org/papers/w33777 Would love to hear any thoughts on this.

01.09.2025 16:00 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence This paper examines changes in the labor market for occupations exposed to generative artificial intelligence using high-frequency administrative data from ADP, the largest payroll software provider i...

Early signs that AI is beginning to affect employment, with (unsurprisingly) new entrants being affected first. Important new research from @stanfordhai.bsky.social‬ digitaleconomy.stanford.edu/publications...

26.08.2025 17:15 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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The Dutch are quietly shifting towards a four-day work week The Netherlands serves as a case study for the advantages and trade-offs of reduced hours in the workplace

4-day week is often suggested as a response to AI-induced disruption. Great to get an indication of how it works in actuality.

"The experience of the Netherlands suggests that a 4-day week isn’t nirvana. But nor is it a fast-track ticket to economic ruin." on.ft.com/47fRruq @sarahoconnorft.ft.com

26.08.2025 12:43 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

“Under an agreement between employers, unions and the government, workers can take time off from their jobs to train in something new, while being paid 80% of their salary…
The policy is in keeping with the Swedish approach to labour market disruption, which is to “protect people, not jobs”.

19.08.2025 17:41 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

This is a crucial point that researchers must consider when using metrics that show 'how amenable a task is to AI' to estimate AI's economic implications.

19.08.2025 13:55 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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AI Killed My Job: Tech workers Tech workers at TikTok, Google, and across the industry share stories about how AI is changing, ruining, or replacing their jobs.

Fascinating tales from the coalface about how AI is disrupting jobs in the tech sector. Looking forward to reading more from @bcmerchant.bsky.social on the impact in other sectors www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/how-ai-is-...

19.08.2025 09:35 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Head of EU and Global AI Governance The Ada Lovelace Institute is recruiting a Head of EU and Global AI Governance to lead our EU and international policy work.

📣Job alert (no. 2)!

We are looking for a strategic, curious and well-connected Head of EU and Global AI Governance to lead our international policy work from our Brussels base.

Closing: 9:30am BST, Monday 8 September 2025.

www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/job/head-of-...

19.08.2025 09:10 — 👍 8    🔁 10    💬 1    📌 1
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MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing There’s a stark difference in success rates between companies that purchase AI tools from vendors and those that build them internally.

Just because a task *can* be performed by #AI, doesn't mean firms *will* use AI for that task (at least, not imminently). Many firms are struggling to integrate AI tools into workflows fortune.com/2025/08/18/m... @fortune.com @technologyreview.com

19.08.2025 09:07 — 👍 5    🔁 1    💬 2    📌 0
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Does HR still need humans? AI can perform many of the duties of human resources staff, a symbol of how it is changing companies and the nature of work

Key question from @laszlobock.bsky.social: "whether AI’s productivity benefits [will be] claimed by capital — feeding through to bigger profits or higher executive pay — or shared with labour, in the form, say, of shorter working hours or higher salaries" on.ft.com/41cuDrw @andrewtghill.ft.com

18.08.2025 07:54 — 👍 4    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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The AI job cuts are accelerating Companies are preparing for a time where there might be less work for their employees

Governments need to wake up to the oncoming disruption that AI poses. We must be prepared with policies to stem a wave of inequality on.ft.com/4fjyngy @financialtimes.com @anjli.bsky.social

04.08.2025 16:43 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Pity the policymakers in the AI jobs tsunami Instead of retraining those who lose work, politicians could help people take matters into their own hands

Sweden leading the charge with a well thought out policy response to labour market disruption from #AI 🇸🇪💪(of course!) on.ft.com/3GNKc1H @financialtimes.com @sarahoconnorft.ft.com #FutureOfWork

15.07.2025 09:54 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 1

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