Employees in China Express Concerns about AI Taking Their Jobs

When Fei Zhaojun’s manager asked whether AI might soon take over programming roles, the question sounded hypothetical. Within a fortnight, Fei was among 160 employees dismissed from a Beijing software company. 

His experience reflects a wider shift across China, where rapid advances in AI are changing workplaces and raising difficult questions about employment. Government support for AI and robotics has accelerated adoption across industries, while workers are increasingly weighing how to remain relevant. 

According to Plenum’s Shujing He, public attitudes toward AI in China appear broadly accepting. People who fear displacement are often turning to AI themselves, including by starting small businesses or working independently. 

Fei once doubted that machines could reliably handle programming. Now he believes many mid-level coding positions are vulnerable. During his break from employment, he has begun producing short videos about everyday life, although the project has yet to provide an income. 

Other workers are experiencing a more complicated transition. Chengdu-based translator Du Qinchun has helped train an AI translation system and has received additional assignments as a result. He says earnings in the sector have fallen by over half compared with previous years. Foreign-language courses at Chinese universities have also lost popularity as automated translation becomes more capable. 

Research company IDC reported that the proportion of Chinese industrial businesses using AI models or autonomous AI tools rose to 47.5% in 2025, compared with 9.6% in 2024. 

The transformation extends beyond office work. Robots are being tested for parcel sorting and food delivery, while machines are taking on tasks ranging from directing traffic to preparing drinks. In entertainment, generative AI is increasingly involved in producing mobile-focused short dramas. Chinese media reported a 75% decline in live-action series during the first quarter of this year. 

Jobs involving narrowly defined skills, particularly media production and software development, could face heightened pressure as AI tools allow tasks once requiring specialist training to be completed by a much wider group of people. 

The risks are, however, not evenly distributed. An International Labor Organization study found women could face greater exposure to AI-related job losses because they are more represented in occupations suited to automation and remain less visible in technology and science roles. 

Beijing’s “AI Plus” strategy and its development plan through 2030 are designed to spread AI throughout the economy. Zilan Qian of Oxford China Policy Lab said the government-led approach could help China introduce AI into different sectors faster than many other countries. 

That acceleration, however, comes as the economy faces weaker growth and subdued consumer spending. Concerns about job security have contributed to cautious household spending, adding pressure to an economy already affected by the prolonged property downturn. 

Major technology companies have already eliminated or reorganized large numbers of positions. Urban unemployment remains near 5%, while joblessness among people aged 16 to 24, excluding students, is considerably higher. 

Still, automation may eventually provide an advantage. China’s population is aging rapidly, and its working-age population is shrinking. Projections suggest fewer than two working-age adults will be available for every retiree by 2050. 

For some workers, AI is therefore less an enemy than a new instrument. Scriptwriter Wang Zhicheng left his employer after half of its 13 writers were dismissed. He now runs an independent studio producing illustrated children’s books. Although AI-generated material can be repetitive or inconsistent, Wang believes people remain responsible for deciding which ideas deserve to be developed. 

Yang Zheng, a high school chemistry teacher, takes a similar view. Students increasingly turn to AI for homework assistance, but he sees potential benefits. The technology can respond immediately and handle follow-up questions, even if its answers are sometimes inaccurate. 

It remains to be seen how the operations of AI entities like AI Maverick Intel Inc. (OTC: AIMV) help companies incorporate AI into their operations and help employees transition to roles that are hard to replace with AI. 

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