AI and jobs. It’s the conversation nobody wanted to have — and now everybody is having. In this episode of aiGED, host Ginny Deerin digs into what’s really happening to the job market: the layoffs, the industries being transformed, and the jobs we thought were safe that aren’t. From Wall Street banks shedding 15,000 employees while posting record profits, to a French factory that just made electricians optional, the examples are real and they’re everywhere.

But there’s a hopeful side to this story too. Stanford economist Erik Brynjolfsson argues that companies using AI to make workers more productive — rather than just replacing them — actually get bigger gains. We look at a real company doing exactly that, and what it means for the rest of us. Plus: a line that stopped Ginny cold — “You may not be interested in AI, but AI is interested in you.”

Also in this episode: Pope Leo XIV weighs in on AI and human dignity in his first encyclical. A delightful piece on how to be old (and grab the chicken leg). Two AI for Good stories — one about a potential one-shot cholesterol treatment, and one about blind riders experiencing independence through Waymo. And Ginny’s recommendation: put down the screen and get crafty.

It’s never too late to learn something new — especially something that might make life easier, and especially more fun.

SHOW LINKS:

NYT: Main Takeaways From Pope Leo’s Encyclical on A.I. — https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/us/pope-leo-encyclical-highlights.html

NYT: How to Be Old — https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/opinion/aging-advice.html

NYT: A.I. Doesn’t Have to Mean Layoffs — https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/business/economy/ai-jobs-productivity.html

Chapters

00:00 Welcome Back From Italy

01:07 AI Commencement Surprise

02:31 Pope On AI And Dignity

05:21 How To Be Old

06:46 AI For Good Highlights

08:46 Jobs Reality Check

09:55 Banking Job Cuts

11:56 Beyond Banks And Hiring Freeze

13:39 Trades Aren't Immune

15:08 Hopeful Path Forward

18:44 Chief Question Officer Future

21:41 Get Crafty Recommendation

23:08 New Bitsy And Signoff

aiGED: AI for the 65+ crowd