Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says the ability to use AI tools is both “fun and empowering” and encourages Gen Z to embrace them early.

But whether that adoption will be enough to shield graduates from the pace of workplace disruption remains unclear — a disruption that Gates himself warns could lead to significant job dislocation. His stance places him among a growing list of tech leaders, including Tesla’s Elon Musk and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, who have acknowledged that AI’s rapid evolution could threaten millions of jobs worldwide.

So his advice for recent graduates is: Embrace AI tools, but don’t expect any stability when it comes to the job search.

Gates told CNN that smart systems have generally unearthed opportunities that are “fun and empowering.” However, he cautioned that this does not mean ambitious college graduates will land their dream jobs simply by using AI; the market remains challenging even for those fluent in these tools.

“Embracing [AI], and tracking it, will be very, very important,” Gates said. “That doesn’t guarantee we’re not going to have a lot of dislocation.”

He added that his advice to young people remains unchanged: “Be curious, read, and use the latest tools.”

AI has shaken up entry-level careers

Gen Z is increasingly burned out from job hunting before even getting started. Frustrated applicants have lamented on TikTok about the flood of rejection emails they have received from companies and voiced fears that the job market feels broken. Data supports their concern: Entry-level job postings in the U.S. have fallen by about 35% since January 2023, with positions most easily automated by AI seeing the steepest declines.

A recent survey found 49% of U.S. Gen Z job hunters believe AI has reduced the value of their degrees. The unemployment rate for recent college graduates climbed above 6% in the 12 months ending in May, compared to a national average of around 4%.

This shift is already visible in corporate hiring. At global investment firm Carlyle, tasks once handled by entry-level analysts, such as combing Google for articles or requesting documents, are now performed by AI. The firm has shifted toward hiring junior-level staff who can verify and refine machine-generated work.

Some CEOs have altered their approach entirely. Bill Balderaz, CEO of Columbus-based consulting firm Futurety, told the Wall Street Journal he chose not to hire a summer intern this year, running social media copy through ChatGPT instead.

How Gen Z is positioning itself

For many entering the workforce, the job market is evolving. Much like investors gravitate toward Treasury bonds during economic uncertainty, younger workers are increasingly turning toward blue-collar jobs and roles grounded in human connection, creativity, and physical skill — sectors that are harder to automate.

A recent survey of 1,000 Gen Z workers showed 53% are now gravitating toward skilled trades such as construction, plumbing, and electrical work. Elevator installation jobs, for example, can pay six figures without requiring a college degree. Other sought-after fields include healthcare, education, and social work.

Not the first technological disruption

Gates’ comments echo earlier periods of technological upheaval. In the 1980s, the personal computer revolution created excitement but also anxiety as clerical and administrative roles began to vanish. In the 1990s, the internet brought unprecedented connectivity — and the rapid collapse of entire job categories, from travel agents to print media staff. Similarly, the early 2000s saw automation in manufacturing displace millions of factory jobs worldwide.

In each case, new industries emerged, but the transition was rarely smooth, especially for young job seekers entering the market during these shifts. Gates’ emphasis on curiosity and adaptability reflects lessons from those eras: those who adopted new tools early often navigated the changes more successfully, but not without volatility and career detours.

Now, with AI accelerating at a pace even faster than those previous revolutions, the challenge for Gen Z is to find roles where human skills remain irreplaceable — and to adapt quickly as those boundaries shift.

A coalition of artificial intelligence industry groups and author advocacy organizations is urging a federal appeals court to block what they describe as the largest copyright class action ever certified, warning that the case could financially devastate not only Anthropic, the AI company at its center, but the entire generative AI industry, per Ars Technica.

The dispute stems from a lawsuit brought by three authors alleging that Anthropic illegally trained its AI models on copyrighted books without permission. The class was certified earlier this year by U.S. District Judge William Alsup, potentially allowing up to 7 million claimants—whose works span a century of publishing—to join the litigation. If each claimant pursued statutory damages of up to $150,000 per work, Anthropic could face hundreds of billions of dollars in liability when the case goes to trial in just four months.

Last week, Anthropic petitioned the appeals court to intervene, arguing that Judge Alsup rushed to certify the class without conducting the “rigorous analysis” required under federal law. The company claims the decision was based largely on the judge’s personal experience—his “50 years” on the bench—rather than a detailed review of who the class members are, what works are at issue, and whether their claims can be handled collectively.

Anthropic warns that the scope of the class and the speed of the proceedings leave it with an impossible choice: settle the case to avoid catastrophic damages or go to trial under conditions it sees as fundamentally unfair. Either outcome, it argues, would set a dangerous precedent for every generative AI company facing copyright claims.

“One district court’s errors should not be allowed to decide the fate of a transformational GenAI company like Anthropic or so heavily influence the future of the GenAI industry generally,” the company wrote in its filing.

Industry Backs Anthropic’s Warning

The Consumer Technology Association and the Computer and Communications Industry Association have filed briefs supporting Anthropic’s appeal. They warn that allowing massive copyright claims in AI training cases will open the door for “emboldened” claimants to force enormous settlements, chilling investment, and slowing innovation.

“As generative AI begins to shape the trajectory of the global economy, the technology industry cannot withstand such devastating litigation,” the groups wrote. “The United States currently may be the global leader in AI development, but that could change if litigation stymies investment by imposing excessive damages on AI companies.”

Authors’ Advocates Join the Call

In an unusual twist, author advocacy groups—including Authors Alliance, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, and Public Knowledge—also backed Anthropic’s petition. While many authors oppose AI companies training on their works without consent, these advocates argue that large copyright cases are ill-suited for class-action treatment.

They point to the complexity of determining copyright ownership, especially for older or “orphaned” works, titles from defunct publishers, or books with split rights between authors, estates, and publishers. They also note that some authors may never even learn of the lawsuit under the proposed notification plan, leaving them unable to opt out or pursue claims independently.

The advocates cite the Google Books case, which cost $34.5 million just to create a registry of rights holders, as evidence that identifying and compensating millions of authors is far more complicated than the court has acknowledged.

Risk of Unresolved Copyright Questions

Critics of the class certification warn that the case could end in a massive settlement without ever resolving the fundamental question of whether training AI models on copyrighted works constitutes infringement. That, they argue, would leave the AI industry operating under a cloud of legal uncertainty while giving future plaintiffs leverage to extract large payouts without definitive legal guidance.

“This case is of exceptional importance,” author advocates wrote. “The district court’s rushed decision to certify the class represents a ‘death knell’ scenario that will mean important issues affecting the rights of millions of authors with respect to AI will never be adequately resolved.”

If the appeals court grants Anthropic’s petition, the class certification could be overturned or sent back for a more detailed review. If it doesn’t, the case will move toward trial in what could become a landmark battle over the intersection of copyright law and artificial intelligence—a fight with consequences far beyond one company’s survival.

This video podcast – Impact of AI on the Global Tech Talent Market – discusses the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the global tech talent market, highlighting how AI is disrupting old business models and creating a new economic landscape.

Pre-AI Market Dynamics: The podcaster first describes the successful business model that existed before the rise of AI. This model was based on a global talent pipeline where companies in developed nations, such as the US and Western Europe, recruited and hired tech professionals from developing countries, including Africa and India. Companies like Andela and Infosys facilitated this process. The system was mutually beneficial: developed nations gained access to skilled labor at a lower cost, while professionals in developing countries earned higher wages with significant purchasing power.

Disruption by AI: The arrival of advanced AI tools, referred to as a “renaissance,” fundamentally changed this dynamic. The core argument is that AI has become an “entry-level engineer,” capable of performing many of the basic coding and development tasks that were previously outsourced to junior talent. This has led to a process of “disintermediation,” where the need for human intermediaries and remote entry-level workers has been significantly reduced.

Impact on Companies and Employment: The podcast provides specific examples of companies whose business models were shattered by AI. Companies like Andela and Infosys saw their primary value proposition—providing entry-level remote talent—diminished. The speaker also cites the struggles and bankruptcy of education companies like Chegg and 2U, whose services could be easily replicated by AI, which provides direct answers to student questions.

This disruption has led to “massive dislocation” in the job market, affecting not only remote workers in developing nations but also new computer science graduates in countries like the US, who are finding it harder to secure entry-level positions. The speaker notes that companies like Microsoft and Google are laying off thousands of people, with AI taking over roles once filled by humans.

Conclusion and Future Outlook: The presentation concludes that AI is rewriting the “ordinance of the market system.” In this new era, technical skills alone are not enough. The focus for businesses and individuals must shift to providing unique value that AI cannot. The speaker warns that this is just the beginning, predicting that in the coming years, even experienced engineers will face disruption as AI becomes increasingly sophisticated, reaching a level of “experience” that rivals their own. The message is a call for adaptation and a fundamental re-evaluation of what makes a person or a company relevant in an AI-driven world.

Podcast Video: Sign-up at Blucera and check Tekedia Daily podcast category under Training module.