On 10/4, Helen, 37, completed her resignation procedures at a multinational corporation in Xi'an Software Park, Shaanxi province. She joined the company eight years ago as a programmer. At that time, "international corporation" and "programmer" were terms signifying a dream job.
Since last year, when the company integrated artificial intelligence (AI) into its projects, the human resources team has shrunk. "AI's code writing efficiency has skyrocketed, and test scenarios are more comprehensive than human efforts. The relevance of programmers is diminishing," she stated.
A few days ago, Helen received a message from the human resources department and had a premonition that "this day would come". "Losing my job is not the end of the world, but life has suddenly stalled, as if everything around me has been paused," she remarked.
Helen recounted that on the first night after resigning, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She began to worry about her home loan, how to explain it to her family, and her next career direction.
 |
Illustrative photo: Huxin |
Illustrative photo: Huxin
In Shanghai, Lu Na, an English translator with over ten years of experience, also did not have her contract renewed.
This shift largely stems from cost considerations. Data from Microsoft indicates AI can now handle 98% of core translation tasks. The cost of using AI is approximately USD 0,01 per one thousand words, whereas hiring human labor costs USD 21. This difference, exceeding two thousand times, has prompted many businesses to adopt machine translation.
Workers like Helen and Lu Na are facing dual pressure. The job market, already competitive, is now worsened by "AI taking jobs". According to data from the country's Statistics Bureau, the unemployment rate for young people aged 16-24 (excluding students) reached a record 18,9% in 8/2025 and remained around 17% in the late months of that year. This pressure is expected to intensify as approximately 12,7 million graduating students are projected to enter the job market in summer 2026.
The wave of personnel replacement is extending to educational institutions. Communication University of China announced it will close 16 specializations, including translation, photography, and comics, by 2025. Schools like East China Normal University and Nanchang University have also ceased offering dozens of programs in arts, graphics, and design.
According to China's Ministry of Education, 2024 saw a major adjustment of academic programs with over 1.400 training points canceled, primarily in fields AI can perform. Concurrently, more than 400 new AI training points were established during the 2020-2024 period.
The recruitment market is also changing its criteria. Xiao Luo, a final-year animation design student in Shenyang, noted that companies no longer prioritize hand-drawing skills; instead, they require candidates to be proficient in AI tools such as Midjourney or Stable Diffusion. "Years of practicing hand-drawing are not as effective as knowing how to write good prompts," Luo commented.
According to the MyCOS Research Institute, about 18% of graphics graduates in 2023 had to work outside their specialization because they could not meet businesses' technology requirements.
A similar situation is occurring for art students abroad in Europe, as the illustration and commercial design markets shrink, stated Judy, a research student at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts in Italy.
To adapt, many workers are updating their knowledge. Helen is currently learning to use AI-assisted programming tools to find new opportunities. "The best approach is not to view AI as an enemy, but to focus on what it cannot do," she advised.
Bao Nhien (According to Huxin)
