The 'Godfather of AI' says it will create 'massive' unemployment

Geoffrey Hinton, the Nobel prize-winning researcher who invented the technology behind ChatGPT, has warned that AI could destroy the jobs it was meant to enhance.

Hinton, who won the Nobel Prize for his pioneering work on neural networks and spent a decade at Google before leaving in 2023, said the disruption is less about the technology itself than the system it operates within.

He dismissed ideas like a universal basic income as a solution, arguing that a cash stipend won't address the loss of dignity people derive from their jobs. Not all tech leaders share Hinton's bleak view on the future.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has long pitched a universal basic income as a cushion against job losses, even funding one of the largest UBI trials in the US.

Elon Musk has echoed those calls, telling an audience at Vivatech last year that in a benign AI future, "probably none of us will have a job" — but universal income could let humans pursue meaning while machines handle work. Investor Vinod Khosla has gone further, predicting AI will perform 80% of the work in 80% of jobs. That, he argues, will slash the value of human labor and make UBI "crucial" to prevent a surge in inequality.

Reference Sources

1. yahooen - The 'Godfather of AI' says it will create 'massive' unemployment, make the rich richer, and rob people of their dignity

Chinese exports grow at slowest rate in 6 months

(Source: EPA)

China's exports grew at a slower pace than in recent months in August, according to the country's customs agency. Exports reached $321.8Bn in August, a 4.4% increase compared to the same month last year, while imports totalled $219.5Bn, a 1.8% rise.

China's large trade surplus has become a contentious issue with major trading partners, including the us and the European Union. Low-priced Chinese imports are a boon for consumers but can lead to job cuts in manufacturing. In the first eight months of the year, China exported $785.3Bn more in goods than it imported from other countries, the monthly customs data showed.

President Donald Trump blew open a trade war with China shortly after retaking office, accusing it of abusive practices that hurt American businesses, an economic conflict that took a big toll on markets and threatened to plunge the us into a recession.

Trump's tariffs have slashed direct demand from the US, causing companies to seek out alternative markets or ship indirectly to the world's biggest economy.

While the exports reading was the lowest since the beginning of 2025, it also adds to sustained growth in the months following the eruption of a full-blown trade war with the US in April.

Reference Sources

1. aawsat - China’s Export Growth Slows in August as US Tariffs and Trade Tensions Bite
2. newsweek - Trump's Tariffs Pinch China Hard, New Figures Show
3. bussinesstimes - China’s export growth slows to six-month low as US orders plunge - The Business Times
4. ft - Chinese exports grow at slowest rate in 6 months
5. abc - China's export growth slows in August as US tariffs and trade tensions bite

Japan's NTT East targets 10 million fiber homes in Indonesia

NTT East, a regional Landline unit of Japan's NTT group, is investing in Indonesia's fiber broadband market by investing in a local telco and extending technical support.

The company aims to lift fiber broadband subscriptions from 200,000 households today to more than 10 million within a decade by investing in Indonesian fiber optics service provider Integrasi Jaringan Ekosistem, also known as weave.

Despite its population of about 280 million and robust economic growth prospects, Indonesia's fiber penetration remains around 15% of total households. Fiber-optic services are largely confined to highly profitable urban areas, and their service fees remain relatively high.

NTT East has set a goal of more than 10 million households within a decade, but Shibutani said the target can be accomplished ahead of schedule. Ultimately, he sees subscribers increasing to 40 million households.

Reference Sources

1. nikkei - Japan's NTT East targets 10 million fiber homes in Indonesia

The CommonWealth English daily news digest is a service curated by CommonWealth English team with the help of AI tools.  

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