{"text":[[{"start":6.95,"text":"The writer is the dean of global business at Tufts University’s Fletcher School"}],[{"start":11.75,"text":"Earlier generations of workers who lost their jobs to Nafta or the China shock suffered twice: first from a lay-off, then from their invisibility. Without professional networks or media fluency, they were drawn to ideological extremes and to a populist who channelled their rage. Today, a fresh wave of white-collar professionals fear losing jobs to AI — they could produce America’s next political shock."}],[{"start":35.85,"text":"Digital Planet, my research centre at Tufts University, recently released the American AI Jobs Risk Index, assessing vulnerabilities across 784 occupations. The economics are striking: 9.3mn jobs and $757bn in annual income are at risk within five years, rising to 19.5mn jobs and $1.5tn if AI adoption accelerates. But the more consequential finding is the geography of the displacement. The occupations most at risk are concentrated in the “wired belts”: regions that have thrived on data, content and cognitive work. These areas may well become the new rust belts, stretching from the familiar tech hubs of Silicon Valley, Boston and New York to Philadelphia, Atlanta and Phoenix. Suburban knowledge corridors surrounding major US swing-state cities rank among America’s most vulnerable. "}],[{"start":89.9,"text":"Seven swing states account for one-sixth of vulnerable US jobs, representing $119.5bn in income. In a close national election, that’s enough for AI-driven turbulence, especially with the likes of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Gwinnett County, Georgia, or Maricopa County, Arizona in play, where a few thousand votes can sway national outcomes. This bloc could turn out en masse in the 2026 midterms; by 2028, they could be decisive."}],[{"start":119.30000000000001,"text":"Those at the top of the jobs risk rankings also have the skills essential for activism. Writers face 57 per cent projected displacement, computer programmers 55 per cent, and web developers 46 per cent. A laid-off journalist in suburban Atlanta or a downsized marketing analyst in Phoenix could post their pain on social media, launch a Substack, assess candidates’ bona fides and use their networks and digital tools to channel dissatisfaction into political action."}],[{"start":149.25,"text":"A few politicians have woken up to this potential. Senators Mark Warner and Josh Hawley have introduced legislation requiring reporting of AI-related lay-offs while potential presidential contenders, California’s Gavin Newsom and Florida’s Ron DeSantis, have flagged the risk. But neither party owns the issue. When asked which one voters trust on AI, the result was a dead heat."}],[{"start":171.9,"text":"AI could be a turnaround opportunity for Democrats, but, as yet, the party has no coherent framework on it. The Trump administration, meanwhile, dismisses such job displacement as a “hoax,” pre-empts state-level worker protections, and forges alliances with AI heavyweights. The pre-emption of state-led regulations alone has seen 3-to-1 public opposition. In many states, there is no AI legislation — so the door is wide open for politicians to seize the narrative."}],[{"start":203.6,"text":"Plenty of coherent policy proposals exist: wage insurance modelled on trade adjustment assistance; requirements to disclose data on AI’s workforce impact; modest levies on AI-productivity gains that channel funds to accounts for displaced workers; AI adoption incentives or public investment in AI tied to the funding of worker-retraining programmes. The winning message will not be one that runs from technology. It should instead focus on running against tech giants’ profits flowing to the rich while the costs fall on ordinary families."}],[{"start":236.75,"text":"While the long-term net impact of AI on work is unclear, the near-term lessons are unambiguous; many jobs will be lost. When economic disruption hits American communities and the political class responds with indifference, the result is a drastic political realignment — but this time it will come from white-collar workers in the wired belt, not blue-collar workers in the rustbelt."}],[{"start":268.9,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1776749168_1079.mp3"}