Brian Groh, a copywriter from Indiana, asked a chatbot for career advice after losing his job to AI and outsourcing. It suggested cutting trees. Groh's story, shared in a New York Times guest article, shows how AI is reshaping white-collar work. Marketing departments first hired cheaper contractors overseas, then turned to AI tools that could produce usable copy in seconds. Groh himself had previously replaced a transcription worker with AI, he writes. The 52-year-old took the chatbot's advice and initially earned decent money doing tree work, but the physical labor left him with elbow and back injuries.

I hope I’ll be able to get back to cutting trees for longer hours. But I suspect I’ll soon face increasing competition, as many people — especially recent college graduates — look for ways to make money that A.I. can’t yet replace.

Groh sees the same pattern that drove his working-class neighbors into despair after factory jobs disappeared. What once affected factory workers is now hitting office workers, he warns. Washington remains focused on global competition and growth, as if new work will always appear to replace what's been lost.