The shadow of the Dark Factory is no longer a futuristic concept. On the factory floor, there is no light, no human presence – only robots working endlessly. Major global tech companies like Microsoft and Bloomberg have laid off thousands of programmers, claiming that “AI writes 30% of the code” as their justification. Tesla has committed to ramping up production with its Optimus robot, aiming to increase global production tenfold, and Middle Eastern nations have invested billions in AI companies. All of this is exactly what we warned about 3-4 years ago. What's left now? The sweet lie that “employment is still possible.”
As automation accelerates, anger grows. The 2023 strike in Guangdong, China, was a clear example: the fear of “robots taking my job” turned into real action. But do we have the time to prepare training programs? We no longer have that luxury. Once jobs are lost, young people will be pushed into unstable gig economy jobs like delivery or ride-sharing, where income fluctuates, and social benefits are absent. While AI factories thrive in large cities, benefiting from the robotic wave, rural areas only deepen in despair. The youth in these regions face even fewer job opportunities, and urban concentration only intensifies. Large corporations, capable of affording automation technology, will be the only ones left standing, leaving small businesses and startups behind. With the rise of robots, unions lose their power, and workers are reduced to disposable resources that can be easily replaced. If things continue this way, future generations will be forced to rely on platforms, selling their labor like a commodity each day. No political pressure, no retraining programs, and no compensation will be able to stop this explosion of anger.
Questions for the youth: “What’s the value of your skills in front of a robot?” “If lifelong learning is the solution, why does AI keep pushing out new technologies?” “The national income per capita may be increasing, but why is your wallet empty?” We cannot stop here. We need to turn this anger into policy and movements. If we can't prevent a simple layoff email, we must at least demand the introduction of Universal Basic Income (UBI). Basic income isn’t about filling our pockets; it’s a survival right that guarantees the minimum living standards, enabling us to be the architects of our own futures. In a reality where the wealth created by robots is directed only to a select few executives and shareholders, the only share left for the youth is the “social safety net.”
Youth, rise in anger. Demand from policymakers: “Impose a robot tax. Implement basic income. Secure our future.” If we don't act now, the future will be marked by the dominance of automation and AI codes, rendering humanity irrelevant. Let the anger of the youth be the spark that drives social change.
