Economy Sam Altman OpenAI founder and CEO now says AI kind of Sucks and is overblown

[LeonardoBjj]

Fearing AI job losses, some young workers in Britain shift towards skilled trades​

By Catarina Demony and Marissa Davison

• 'Hands-on' jobs gain appeal as AI reshapes labour market
• Rising demand for construction courses at colleges
• AI prompts young people to plan careers more strategically

LONDON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - In a labour market where artificial intelligence is quickly transforming and sometimes replacing jobs, student Maryna Yaroshenko wanted to find a future-proof career that offered long-term stability.

Like a growing number of young people in Britain and beyond, 18-year-old Yaroshenko opted for a skilled trade and is now training to become a plumber.

"That's something AI won't take over," said Yaroshenko, who is originally from Ukraine and is studying at the City of Westminster College (CWC) in London.

White-collar jobs are viewed as more vulnerable to disruption by AI and automation than manual labour. In Britain, one in six employers expect the use of AI tools to allow them to reduce their headcount in the next 12 months, according to a survey last month conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a professional human resources body.

Yaroshenko sees AI as a useful tool, but not one that could replace the hands-on nature of plumbing, which many shy away from due to its physical demands and a lingering stigma around trades such as electrical work, carpentry, and welding.

"We will definitely work with it (AI) but only a human can make those unique things AI cannot," she said. "No AI can do plumbing, no AI can do real engineering, no AI can be an electrician."

DEMAND FOR HANDS-ON COURSES GROWING​

CWC, part of the United Colleges Group, is a further education and training institution rather than a university. Over the past three years, it has seen enrolments in its engineering, construction and built environment courses rise by 9.6%, a jump CEO Stephen Davis attributes partly to the growth of AI and also to student worries about the cost of university.

Some young people are opting against university to avoid the thousands of pounds of debt it can entail.

A survey of 2,600 adults carried out in August by the Trades Union Congress, the country's biggest union umbrella, found that half of UK adults were worried about AI's impact on their jobs, with those aged 25 to 35 particularly concerned.

"There's a lot of anxiety among young people right now that their jobs are automated away," said Bouke Klein Teeselink, a lecturer and AI researcher at King's College, London.

Teeselink's study at King's College, published in October, found that AI-driven cuts in workforces disproportionately affect junior positions, making it harder for young people to get a foothold on the career ladder.

Other colleges are reporting similar trend shifts.

Plumbing student Maryna Yaroshenko poses in the workshop at City of Westminster College, Paddington, in London, Britain, November 20, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy Purchase Licensing Rights

Angela Joyce, CEO of Capital City College, also in London, said it had seen strong growth in interest in construction, plumbing, hospitality, and other trades.

"This shows that more people are recognising the value of becoming skilled professionals," Joyce said, adding that for some people, apprenticeships could offer better earning potential than degrees.

Davis said AI has pushed not only young people but also adults looking to switch careers to think more strategically. Many are seeking job security and higher wages, he said.

According to the Office for National Statistics, plumbers earn an average of 37,881 pounds ($50,169) per year, while skilled construction and building trades workers typically make around 35,764 pounds. This compares with an overall average salary of 39,039 pounds across all sectors.

Davis noted that skilled trades, however, often provide greater opportunities for people to run their own businesses, increasing their earning potential.

NEW BLOOD IN TRADES​

Back in the plumbing workshop, Yaroshenko said another reason she sees herself staying in a skilled trade in the long term is that the current workforce is aging and demand for a new generation of skilled workers will stay high.
Yaroshenko added that she chose a college over university because she wanted to gain "real-life work" experience as quickly as possible.

Undergraduate enrolments at UK universities have slightly declined, falling 1.1% in 2023/24 from the previous academic year, the first annual decrease in nearly a decade, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

Teeselink said it would be a while before robot plumbers took over, because it's such "intricate work".

Davis said that while robotics technology was evolving rapidly, students on courses such as plumbing were well-positioned.

"Sometimes plumbers have to put their hands down the toilet to unblock it ... and I'm yet to meet a robot that does that for us," Davis said.

https://www.reuters.com/business/wo...tain-shift-towards-skilled-trades-2025-12-02/

 

[LeonardoBjj]

@SurferH2O @Scerpi

 

[SurferH2O]

Fearing AI job losses, some young workers in Britain shift towards skilled trades​

By Catarina Demony and Marissa Davison

• 'Hands-on' jobs gain appeal as AI reshapes labour market
• Rising demand for construction courses at colleges
• AI prompts young people to plan careers more strategically

LONDON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - In a labour market where artificial intelligence is quickly transforming and sometimes replacing jobs, student Maryna Yaroshenko wanted to find a future-proof career that offered long-term stability.

Like a growing number of young people in Britain and beyond, 18-year-old Yaroshenko opted for a skilled trade and is now training to become a plumber.

"That's something AI won't take over," said Yaroshenko, who is originally from Ukraine and is studying at the City of Westminster College (CWC) in London.

White-collar jobs are viewed as more vulnerable to disruption by AI and automation than manual labour. In Britain, one in six employers expect the use of AI tools to allow them to reduce their headcount in the next 12 months, according to a survey last month conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a professional human resources body.

Yaroshenko sees AI as a useful tool, but not one that could replace the hands-on nature of plumbing, which many shy away from due to its physical demands and a lingering stigma around trades such as electrical work, carpentry, and welding.

"We will definitely work with it (AI) but only a human can make those unique things AI cannot," she said. "No AI can do plumbing, no AI can do real engineering, no AI can be an electrician."

DEMAND FOR HANDS-ON COURSES GROWING​

CWC, part of the United Colleges Group, is a further education and training institution rather than a university. Over the past three years, it has seen enrolments in its engineering, construction and built environment courses rise by 9.6%, a jump CEO Stephen Davis attributes partly to the growth of AI and also to student worries about the cost of university.

Some young people are opting against university to avoid the thousands of pounds of debt it can entail.

A survey of 2,600 adults carried out in August by the Trades Union Congress, the country's biggest union umbrella, found that half of UK adults were worried about AI's impact on their jobs, with those aged 25 to 35 particularly concerned.

"There's a lot of anxiety among young people right now that their jobs are automated away," said Bouke Klein Teeselink, a lecturer and AI researcher at King's College, London.

Teeselink's study at King's College, published in October, found that AI-driven cuts in workforces disproportionately affect junior positions, making it harder for young people to get a foothold on the career ladder.

Other colleges are reporting similar trend shifts.

Plumbing student Maryna Yaroshenko poses in the workshop at City of Westminster College, Paddington, in London, Britain, November 20, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy Purchase Licensing Rights

Angela Joyce, CEO of Capital City College, also in London, said it had seen strong growth in interest in construction, plumbing, hospitality, and other trades.

"This shows that more people are recognising the value of becoming skilled professionals," Joyce said, adding that for some people, apprenticeships could offer better earning potential than degrees.

Davis said AI has pushed not only young people but also adults looking to switch careers to think more strategically. Many are seeking job security and higher wages, he said.

According to the Office for National Statistics, plumbers earn an average of 37,881 pounds ($50,169) per year, while skilled construction and building trades workers typically make around 35,764 pounds. This compares with an overall average salary of 39,039 pounds across all sectors.

Davis noted that skilled trades, however, often provide greater opportunities for people to run their own businesses, increasing their earning potential.

NEW BLOOD IN TRADES​

Back in the plumbing workshop, Yaroshenko said another reason she sees herself staying in a skilled trade in the long term is that the current workforce is aging and demand for a new generation of skilled workers will stay high.
Yaroshenko added that she chose a college over university because she wanted to gain "real-life work" experience as quickly as possible.

Undergraduate enrolments at UK universities have slightly declined, falling 1.1% in 2023/24 from the previous academic year, the first annual decrease in nearly a decade, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

Teeselink said it would be a while before robot plumbers took over, because it's such "intricate work".

Davis said that while robotics technology was evolving rapidly, students on courses such as plumbing were well-positioned.

"Sometimes plumbers have to put their hands down the toilet to unblock it ... and I'm yet to meet a robot that does that for us," Davis said.

https://www.reuters.com/business/wo...tain-shift-towards-skilled-trades-2025-12-02/

Super smart.

I am currently in the process of working out an enormous solution that will automate about 80% of Project Controls.

We will still need skilled programmers, just fewer of them, as AI can create about 80% of the code. Programmers were already just taking known code and assembling the objects, but it's getting a whole lot easier.

Welders, electricians, boilermakers, plumbers, heavy machine operators, etc... are going to become a far more valuable resource and if we stick to our guns, hiring local, our nation will grow and prosper.

Trump can get bent with his H1B VISA position. Fuck that.

 

[LeonardoBjj]

Super smart.

I am currently in the process of working out an enormous solution that will automate about 80% of Project Controls.

We will still need skilled programmers, just fewer of them, as AI can create about 80% of the code. Programmers were already just taking known code and assembling the objects, but it's getting a whole lot easier.

Welders, electricians, boilermakers, plumbers, heavy machine operators, etc... are going to become a far more valuable resource and if we stick to our guns, hiring local, our nation will grow and prosper.

Trump can get bent with his H1B VISA position. Fuck that.

- As someone that loves contruction worl, hope that area get some respect.
I almost feel bad for the learn to code people.

 

[PEB]

Sam Altman getting cooked by Gemini 3 with its custom AI chips instead of Nvidia all things fit everything Google taking a better to far better approach with chips designed specific to Google. It's far better and more flexible to Google applications. Nvidia tries to wear many hats each one does not grown out of specific application and Nvidia.

 

[RemyR]

 

[Bballfan123]

Yeah, of course. You haven't seen this yet? Teenagers are already using AI and deepfake software to create realistic porn videos of girls they know from their high schools because they have so many photos and videos of the girls they can easily access on social media. That's what the whole Taylor Swift thing was about. Some try to use these for extortion.

They even have an acronym for it. "Non Consensual Intimate Imagery" aka NCII.

Congress passes bill to fight deepfake nudes, revenge porn

The Washington Post By Will Oremus The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill aimed at cracking down on the posting of sexual images and videos of people online without their consent, including AI-generated “deepfake” nudes of real people. The bipartisan...

www.klobuchar.senate.gov

should be an exemption if user is under 18 IMO

same thing as how a 17 year old possessing a nude of their 17 year old classmate is illegal. no. humans need sex. this is dumb. have common sense people. dont let the muslims win. normal behavior should not be considered felonious

 

[Madmick]

should be an exemption if user is under 18 IMO

same thing as how a 17 year old possessing a nude of their 17 year old classmate is illegal. no. humans need sex. this is dumb. have common sense people. dont let the muslims win. normal behavior should not be considered felonious

Disagree. This is very dicey.

It's one thing if you have nudes of your high school girlfriend as a high school boy. It's a whole different ballgame if you go spreading those around no matter what your age. Because your girlfriend is a minor. That is distribution of child porn. Even if the guy is only sharing them with his close friends, classmates, that's so problematic. When we think, "She's 17", it doesn't sound creepy, but what if she isn't? Teenagers get sexual long before that of their own free will. What if she is 15? 14? 13? 12? I had a friend who was made pregnant at age 12 by her 15 year old boyfriend. Quite the scandal.

So even if it's A.I., it isn't real, you're simulating child porn. Same issue.

Now, if you're speaking to the larger question over whether or not it should be legal to create fake pornographic images of another adult without their consent...that is still not black and white, but I'm more sympathetic to your take. But this is brand new stuff. We've never had to deal with this question before as a species. This isn't like Muslims suppressing adult women willfully showing off their bodies. These deepfake images are so real now that a person can't tell that they're not real. @Slobodan was just showing me ultra-HD images of the CEO of NVIDIA licking AMD graphics cards. It's incredible.

Nevertheless, I understand they're not real. And we never previously prosecuted people for painting sketches or paintings of other adults nude without that person's consent. But that skill was also not so common, not so easily distributed before modern technology, and not nearly so verisimilar. Because these images/video could be misinterpreted as being real whether or not they are, and this could have an impact on a person's reputation. So perhaps a way to litigate this is to treat it as a form of slander.

 

[Ruv]

 

[Bballfan123]

Disagree. This is very dicey.

It's one thing if you have nudes of your high school girlfriend as a high school boy. It's a whole different ballgame if you go spreading those around no matter what your age. Because your girlfriend is a minor. That is distribution of child porn. Even if the guy is only sharing them with his close friends, classmates, that's so problematic. When we think, "She's 17", it doesn't sound creepy, but what if she isn't? Teenagers get sexual long before that of their own free will. What if she is 15? 14? 13? 12? I had a friend who was made pregnant at age 12 by her 15 year old boyfriend. Quite the scandal.

So even if it's A.I., it isn't real, you're simulating child porn. Same issue.

Now, if you're speaking to the larger question over whether or not it should be legal to create fake pornographic images of another adult without their consent...that is still not black and white, but I'm more sympathetic to your take. But this is brand new stuff. We've never had to deal with this question before as a species. This isn't like Muslims suppressing adult women willfully showing off their bodies. These deepfake images are so real now that a person can't tell that they're not real. @Slobodan was just showing me ultra-HD images of the CEO of NVIDIA licking AMD graphics cards. It's incredible.

Nevertheless, I understand they're not real. And we never previously prosecuted people for painting sketches or paintings of other adults nude without that person's consent. But that skill was also not so common, not so easily distributed before modern technology, and not nearly so verisimilar. Because these images/video could be misinterpreted as being real whether or not they are, and this could have an impact on a person's reputation. So perhaps a way to litigate this is to treat it as a form of slander.

Total disagree. I say if they’re under 20 pump then full of birth control and be done with it. We have very medieval view of sex yet are very promiscuous at the same time and walk around half naked in middle school and up. Birth control and sex are gifts from above. We shouldn’t regress into this medieval view where people dress extremely promiscuous but are expected to keep it ton their pants. On birth control there is a 0% or 0.001% chance of pregnancy if used correctly.

Say what you will about morality but if the 12 year old girl was on birth control she WOULD NOT be pregnant. She might not be morally pure but she would not be pregnant which is more important to me. A 12 year old can a baby evidenced by her having a baby. Problem is they can’t possibly provide for a kid at that age.

Either repress or accept times have changed. Because sneaking around getting pregnant is bad. Probably couldn’t talk to anyone. Well guess what people have sex its a strong drive for healthy people. So why even worry and just use very strong birth control chemicals to make it impossible. I think this is more realistic than expecting every single person to make the morally right choice every single day forever.

Fact is the cats out of the bag and we shouldn’t try to repress people because

1) it straight up won’t work
2) what is the point of technology of not to advance.

We are headed towards a future where we all only masturbate and sex is icky. I don’t know if that is good healthy or desirable. Half of men don’t have sex at all, that has to be close to medieval levels of sexual repression.

 

[Bballfan123]

Disagree. This is very dicey.

It's one thing if you have nudes of your high school girlfriend as a high school boy. It's a whole different ballgame if you go spreading those around no matter what your age. Because your girlfriend is a minor. That is distribution of child porn. Even if the guy is only sharing them with his close friends, classmates, that's so problematic. When we think, "She's 17", it doesn't sound creepy, but what if she isn't? Teenagers get sexual long before that of their own free will. What if she is 15? 14? 13? 12? I had a friend who was made pregnant at age 12 by her 15 year old boyfriend. Quite the scandal.

So even if it's A.I., it isn't real, you're simulating child porn. Same issue.

Now, if you're speaking to the larger question over whether or not it should be legal to create fake pornographic images of another adult without their consent...that is still not black and white, but I'm more sympathetic to your take. But this is brand new stuff. We've never had to deal with this question before as a species. This isn't like Muslims suppressing adult women willfully showing off their bodies. These deepfake images are so real now that a person can't tell that they're not real. @Slobodan was just showing me ultra-HD images of the CEO of NVIDIA licking AMD graphics cards. It's incredible.

Nevertheless, I understand they're not real. And we never previously prosecuted people for painting sketches or paintings of other adults nude without that person's consent. But that skill was also not so common, not so easily distributed before modern technology, and not nearly so verisimilar. Because these images/video could be misinterpreted as being real whether or not they are, and this could have an impact on a person's reputation. So perhaps a way to litigate this is to treat it as a form of slander.

I also think women should not be shamed AT ALL for being promiscuous and men should not be shamed for indulging. I don’t want to live in some wierd repressed society where looking at boobs is illegal but watching demented porn alone is encouraged. I think it’s wierd and repressive. It’s puritan American beliefs applied to this new ai society where there is an infinite amount of porn but tasteful nudity is outlawed. I think it’s strange and not what I expected.

In a promiscuous society it seems that men enforce morality, honestly, because they can’t afford to have sex or cannot for various reasons and this is done out of spite.

The government all but encourages (and did encourage in lockdown) only fans/ detached sex with no physical encounter. It’s bizarre. Repressing the sexes to separate them and make everyone hate each other.

Why would someone shame you for nudes? Because they themselves are jealous. I am not jealous, so I do not care about nudes being published.

 

[Madmick]

Total disagree. I say if they’re under 20 pump then full of birth control and be done with it. We have very medieval view of sex yet are very promiscuous at the same time and walk around half naked in middle school and up. Birth control and sex are gifts from above. We shouldn’t regress into this medieval view where people dress extremely promiscuous but are expected to keep it ton their pants. On birth control there is a 0% or 0.001% chance of pregnancy if used correctly.

Say what you will about morality but if the 12 year old girl was on birth control she WOULD NOT be pregnant. She might not be morally pure but she would not be pregnant which is more important to me. A 12 year old can a baby evidenced by her having a baby. Problem is they can’t possibly provide for a kid at that age.

Either repress or accept times have changed. Because sneaking around getting pregnant is bad. Probably couldn’t talk to anyone. Well guess what people have sex its a strong drive for healthy people. So why even worry and just use very strong birth control chemicals to make it impossible. I think this is more realistic than expecting every single person to make the morally right choice every single day forever.

Fact is the cats out of the bag and we shouldn’t try to repress people because

1) it straight up won’t work
2) what is the point of technology of not to advance.

We are headed towards a future where we all only masturbate and sex is icky. I don’t know if that is good healthy or desirable. Half of men don’t have sex at all, that has to be close to medieval levels of sexual repression.

I also think women should not be shamed AT ALL for being promiscuous and men should not be shamed for indulging. I don’t want to live in some wierd repressed society where looking at boobs is illegal but watching demented porn alone is encouraged. I think it’s wierd and repressive. It’s puritan American beliefs applied to this new ai society where there is an infinite amount of porn but tasteful nudity is outlawed. I think it’s strange and not what I expected.

In a promiscuous society it seems that men enforce morality, honestly, because they can’t afford to have sex or cannot for various reasons and this is done out of spite.

The government all but encourages (and did encourage in lockdown) only fans/ detached sex with no physical encounter. It’s bizarre. Repressing the sexes to separate them and make everyone hate each other.

Why would someone shame you for nudes? Because they themselves are jealous. I am not jealous, so I do not care about nudes being published.

WTF are you babbling about? Why are you talking about social attitudes towards preteen sex?

The problematic legal issue before us has nothing to do with preteen sex. I spoke about the distribution of sexual imagery of children, and of adults, both real and AI-generated, without their consent.

 

[Bballfan123]

WTF are you babbling about? Why are you talking about social attitudes towards preteen sex?

The problematic legal issue before us has nothing to do with preteen sex. I spoke about the distribution of sexual imagery of children, and of adults, both real and AI-generated, without their consent.

The cat is out of the bag, unfortunately. Can’t give every teenage boy in America the ability to make 4k images of their classmates and not expect changes to happen. It can’t be banned it won’t go away you can make a homemade ai capable of doing these things in about 15 minutes with limited tech knowledge.

In 20 years we will have matrix level holograms most likely. I don’t agree with it but my personal opinion doesn’t matter. He’ll it was on the newspaper that OpenAI is allowing adult content and chat. It’s literally being advertised mainstream.

Not sure what getting pregnant has to do with sending nudes but you brought it up. It’s all the same thing. Sending nudes doesn’t get you pregnant having unprotected sex does.

 

[Madmick]

The cat is out of the bag, unfortunately. Can’t give every teenage boy in America the ability to make 4k images of their classmates and not expect changes to happen. It can’t be banned it won’t go away you can make a homemade ai capable of doing these things in about 15 minutes with limited tech knowledge.

In 20 years we will have matrix level holograms most likely. I don’t agree with it but my personal opinion doesn’t matter. He’ll it was on the newspaper that OpenAI is allowing adult content and chat. It’s literally being advertised mainstream.

Not sure what getting pregnant has to do with sending nudes but you brought it up. It’s all the same thing. Sending nudes doesn’t get you pregnant having unprotected sex does.

These are some of the least thought-out hot takes I've read on the forum in the past month.

The advent of VHS technology placed the ability to shoot a home video in the hands of anyone. That doesn't mean we immediately decided it was okay to shoot child porn or snuff films. Understand?

 

[RemyR]

 

[PEB]

The need for a massive data center using 5 gigawatts of power is insane I saw a demo of a deskside AI box running 200,000 expandable to over 1 million AI modeled CPU's with 2 petabytes of dedicated shared memory and uses only around 100 kilowatts of power I believe?.

it even uses open source AI LLM models using wafer sized chiplets covered with 1000's of AI CPU's Can match or exceed most performance matrix's. These wafer sized units cost like 400k or 700k each and their is up to 100's of them in the box. So it's pretty expensive and they are working on making these things shut down areas on the wafer if a failure happens on it. It has wafer level redundances. Built on 4nm technology will not drink a million gallons of water a day. AMD even dipping toes in the game with over 200 of these on a smaller scale I hear.I believe there is 6 processors per module.