News·2 min read

Skimm This: AI and Jobs, Hong Kong Arrests, and Pigs on the Run

August 30, 2019

It’s August 30th. Today, we Skimm’d This: 

  • Elon Musk told an AI conference yesterday that advances in technology will make jobs kind of pointless. That may be premature, but automation and artificial intelligence are taking on more and more workloads

  • The Hong Kong government is taking a tougher line on protests ahead of a planned march to commemorate the 2014 Umbrella Movement. A number of activists were arrested and some groups say the march is called off. We’ll explain.

  • Hurricane Dorian was upgraded to a category 3 hurricane today as it churns toward Florida’s coast. The state’s National Guard is on standby, and there are warnings of possible storm surges. 

  • A farmer in Orange, Vermont laid a trail of hot dog buns to help him find his 250 escaped pigs, who were causing havoc for locals.

theSkimm: Automation and artificial intelligence are supposed to make jobs easier, but sometimes they can take away jobs altogether. This Labor Day weekend, we’re taking a look at the current and future impact of AI on American jobs. Then: the Hong Kong government has arrested protest leaders ahead of a large demonstration planned for this weekend. We’ll explain how the government is changing its tactics. Also on today’s show: Florida is bracing for impact as Hurricane Dorian approaches, and 250 pigs on the run in Vermont.

Labor Day is all about celebrating workers’ rights in the US. We’ve got everything you need to know about why labor union membership is falling, and how unions have impacted the workplace.

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