"And I learned that it's because AI-powered kiosks were replacing the counter roles at many tea shops. So that takes out - what? - two to three employees per shop? And then I looked into a bit more and saw that AI was taking over many teen jobs, for example, AI-powered self-checkout. Then that launched me into this research paper."
"BISAHA: Now, maybe your average teenager would have said, that's interesting, and, you know, moved on. But Karissa, she is not average. For one thing, she started volunteering as a research assistant by cold emailing George Geis. He's on the faculty at UCLA's business school. GEORGE GEIS: Most of us, you know, in the faculty get approached maybe at least once a month by students who want to do something with us and work. But Karissa stood out."
Seventeen-year-old Karissa Tang from Silicon Valley investigated how AI affects teenage employment after noticing her aunt's boba shop stopped hiring. She cold-emailed a UCLA professor, volunteered as a research assistant, and designed a project to quantify AI's impact on common teen occupations. She found that AI-powered kiosks and self-checkout systems are replacing counter and cashier roles, eliminating two to three employees per shop in some cases. The analysis identified several popular teen jobs at elevated risk of automation, implying fewer entry-level and summer opportunities for workers under 20 and prompting considerations for workforce adaptation.
Read at www.npr.org
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