Media: 联合早报 聯合早報 Lianhe Zaobao
In recent years, the people and things around us have begun to look very different. After business meetings, minutes are compiled by AI; travel itineraries are planned with the help of artificial intelligence; proposals are drafted after consulting Copilot; even new café menus and food images may be AI-generated. Everything seems to have fallen into place naturally. Yet on closer thought, in just three short years, the workflows and professional domains we once took for granted have been quietly reshaped beyond recognition.
The spread of generative AI has been like a sudden tide, pushing the boundaries of technology outward while subtly redrawing the terrain of human work. Many assume that change comes from AI itself, speculating on which jobs will be replaced. Some argue that white-collar, repetitive, and highly specialized roles—such as accounting, finance, and translation—will disappear rapidly, while jobs involving physical labor, close human contact, and emotional exchange, such as nursing aides and caregivers, will be harder to eliminate. While large companies cutting staff in the name of AI has become increasingly common in 2025, what truly reshapes economic structures is often capital’s drive to reduce costs. Within this process are many intriguing stories and detours—largely unseen, because these changes are not crashing waves but quiet undercurrents.
Among them are recent examples that defy intuition.
First, the restocking robots seen in convenience stores in Tokyo are not autonomous. They are remotely operated via virtual reality by workers based in Manila, the Philippines. A single operator can monitor around fifty robots at once, forming a globalized labor model of “one soul, many bodies.” Japan gains high efficiency at lower cost, while Filipino workers continue to earn salaries of roughly US$300 per month.
Second, some small restaurants in New York have hired cashiers based in the Philippines to take orders remotely via Zoom, at wages of just over US$3 per hour. How long such cross-border service models can last remains uncertain. As voice and image recognition technologies mature, these forms of remote human labor may ultimately be fully replaced by AI. Technology merely borrows human capability for a time, before gradually reclaiming it.
In these seemingly minor cases, we see not only technological breakthroughs but a rewriting of the nature of work itself. They reveal a reality that cannot be ignored: what truly disrupts jobs is not competition between people, but new production models created by the combination of humans and technology. Repetitive, physical, and procedural tasks no longer need to be concentrated in one place or carried out by a single individual. Technology and machines will increasingly take over such functions, and humanity’s position in the value chain is far from fixed.
Amid such unpredictable transformation, whether new roles will prove resilient, short-lived, or genuinely groundbreaking remains unknown. What is certain is that we are standing at a critical threshold. In the post-pandemic era, work will no longer be defined by location, hours, or headcount, but by efficiency, the degree of technological integration, and susceptibility to automation.
Change is difficult. Human inertia leads us to follow established patterns, and learning or implementing new ways of working—whether psychologically or practically—can be painful. Without foresight, sudden displacement, whether through layoffs or falling behind social change, can be deeply distressing and may trigger wider social problems. If governments fail to establish timely universal minimum income protections, most people will need to equip themselves and actively embrace transformation. Skills renewal, cross-disciplinary abilities, and technological literacy will form the new foundation of education. The ability to keep pace with change will determine whether one is carried forward by the times or left behind.
At this historical turning point, we are witnessing both the reinvention of work and a renewed demonstration of human resilience. Technology will not slow down, but humanity need not rush forward in a panic, crawling and scrambling. The key lies in whether we are willing to change how we run. When the world no longer moves step by step, we need not cling to old definitions. As tools grow smarter, humans can carve out space to explore roles and work that are more creative, more humane, and more worthy of passion. This is not the end, but the light before dawn—a historic structural shift, a door opening to a new world. Those who step through first will be the ones who move with ease, seeing the landscape clearly as it unfolds.
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