Rhys Cooper, 30, from Melbourne, recently quit her job as a data analyst at a technology company after becoming disillusioned with the industry and fearing it would eventually be replaced by AI. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.
I worked in data analysis for a large technology company, which I enjoyed. At the meeting, leaders shared plans for the coming years. They said they would rebuild the data warehouse to optimize it for AI data analysis.
I raised my hand and said: “You’re optimizing a data warehouse for AI data analysis. But we’re data analysts. How does that fit into our work?”
They said they were going to be building warehouses for the next few years and didn’t need to focus on data analysis.
My role for the last five years was to create graphs, and the company said the AI would do this, rotate these graphs.
I looked around at my data analyst colleagues in disappointment. I think they fit into two camps: AI true believers and Luddites. I say this in a very positive way because it’s okay to be skeptical about automation.
That night I decided that I should probably quit my job. Knowing what was happening at other companies showed me that my company wasn’t the only one approaching AI in this way.
I had a mortgage that I couldn’t pay without a salary, so I needed to figure out my household finances. It took about 3 months from that meeting until I quit because I had to sell my house.
My decision to leave wasn’t just related to AI. I’ve lost faith in this industry over the past few years, especially given how people have become overly reliant on technology and the wealth inequality that these companies are likely to exacerbate. They are also not satisfied with the environmental impact of their data centers.
AI was the kicker for me. This is what I thought. “It’s all going to end anyway. They’re going to lay us off. And if we get fired, we won’t be able to pay the mortgage right away. So maybe we should sort out the mortgage and think about our next steps a little sooner.”
I want to be more analog
I knew that if I did this, I probably wouldn’t be able to get another tech job because the job market isn’t what it was when I started about 10 years ago. So I made the very scary decision to resign.
Maybe there was a tech job for me at a nonprofit or a company that was trying to make the world a better place, but I didn’t want to stay there and look for something else. I thought, “This has to end.”
Five years ago, it was very easy to quit your job and find a job. My colleagues and I were constantly receiving messages from companies asking us to hire them. That’s no longer the case.
I’m planning to look for a job at a coffee shop or restaurant. I want to be more analog. I want to meet people face-to-face and chat, get involved in the community, or do something with my hands, like being a hairdresser. We also want to mentor and support the next generation.
There are many things I can do. There are so many possibilities in front of me that I’m actually having a bit of a hard time choosing. It’s kind of scary. I feel like I’m 17 years old again, trying to figure out what I want to do after high school.
A lot of people have contacted me and said, “There’s a company that’s trying to develop ethical AI.” I’m sure I’ll have a job offer, but I want to make the world a better place.
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