Is AI actually the main cause of the tough job market for new graduates?
No — treating AI as the sole culprit is a cognitive shortcut. High interest rates, persistent inflation, corporate hiring freezes and broader global economic instability are doing most of the damage to entry-level hiring. AI automation is a real and growing factor, but it is layered on top of a labor market that was already tightening before generative AI scaled.
Answered in
The AI Backlash Just Got Very PublicGraduates booed AI-hype speakers and cheered Steve Wozniak this season — but the real story is economic anxiety, not just AI fear.
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