“In 2026, it’s a scary time to work for a living.” That’s how the Guardian launches Reworked, a yearlong series on AI and the future of the job. The same technology that’s making software engineers nervous is making them realize they have more in common with warehouse workers than with their CEOs. (Samantha Oltman)
- Union membership in the US sits at 9.9%, near a 40-year low, and productivity gains over four decades went almost entirely to employers, not workers.
- AI is making that imbalance visible to people who previously didn't notice it.
- The hype itself is a tactic: experts argue that tech leaders deliberately mystify AI to disempower workers, regulators, and critics, while the actual outcomes of AI on labor are still very much undecided.
