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‘How else are people going to learn’: MIT research scientist warns companies replacing Gen Z with AI for entry jobs risk a costly mistake
TOI Tech Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Jul 26, 2026, 09:11 IST
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Andrew McAfee, a research scientist at MIT questioned how organisations expect future professionals to develop if entry-level jobs disappear.
Companies that replace Gen Z workers with artificial intelligence (AI) in entry-level roles could be creating long-term workforce challenges. Speaking to Harvard Business Review, Andrew McAfee, a research scientist at MIT and co-lead of the university’s Initiative on the Digital Economy, questioned how organisations expect future professionals to develop if entry-level jobs disappear.“How else are people going to learn to do the job except via on-the-job learning and training apprenticeship? That’s how you learn to do difficult knowledge work is by helping somebody who’s good at that with the routine stuff. And when we put too much automation in that too quickly, we lose that apprenticeship ladder,” McAfee said.
Entry-level hiring plays a role in future workforce development
McAfee argued that reducing entry-level hiring does more than shrink the current workforce.
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He said it disrupts the pathway through which employees develop the skills needed for more complex roles over time.He also said companies risk losing a generation that is already comfortable working with artificial intelligence. According to a Deloitte study published in November 2025, 76% of Gen Z respondents reported using a standalone AI tool, the highest share among all generations.“There is a big demographic falloff. As people tend to get older, we tend to be more set in our ways and less willing to try crazy new things like AI,” McAfee, who is also the co-founder of Workhelix, said.“So if you’re pulling back on your entry-level hiring, you are probably sacrificing future opportunities to learn and the skilled people of the future. You’re also turning off the spigot of the most enthusiastic power users of AI in your organisation,” he added.
Young job seekers remain concerned about AI
McAfee’s comments come as many graduates report growing concerns about the impact of AI on employment. According to Handshake’s Class of 2026 Network Trends report, entry-level job postings on the platform are down 2% year over year and remain 12% below pre-pandemic levels.Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for college graduates aged between 22 and 27 stands at 5.6%, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.A Monster survey also found that nearly nine in 10 graduates from the Class of 2026 are concerned that AI or automation could replace entry-level jobs, compared with 64% in 2025.Some executives have echoed those concerns. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei had previously said AI could eliminate up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs before later softening that prediction.However, a recent Goldman Sachs analysis suggested younger workers have historically adapted more effectively to technological shifts. The report found college-educated young workers generally experience earnings losses around half as large as other displaced workers over the decade following job loss and are more likely to move into occupations that complement emerging technologies.“Contrary to current concerns that the costs of AI will fall especially hard on new graduates, younger workers have actually been able to adjust more flexibly through occupational mobility and skill upgrading in the past,” the report said.Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.
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