Today’s big topic: Denmark’s central bank has crunched the numbers on the impact of A.I. in Danish workplaces
Artificial Intelligence Robots Take Over the Work Technology Replaces People
What’s happening?
Artificial intelligence is spreading so quickly in Denmark that 59 percent of all Danish companies have now adopted it – up from 42 percent last year. And it is already having an effect:
In the companies that began using artificial intelligence in 2023 and 2024, the number of employees is growing less than in other companies.
More specifically, employment is growing 11 percent less at these companies. And it is young people and those with long educations who are being hit hardest, concludes a new analysis from Danmarks Nationalbank.
In companies that use AI, employment among the youngest workers, those ages 18 to 30, grows a full 15.5 percent less, the analysis shows. For every other age group, the effect is a more modest 3.7 percent.
There is an obvious explanation, the central bank assesses: AI is best at taking over the often routine tasks that, until now, have been entry-level work for newly hired young employees.
Why it matters!
At first glance, the analysis may seem like a bleak prospect: That artificial intelligence is taking over entry-level work.
But in fact, it does not appear to be a problem, the central bank notes. When AI takes over jobs, people find work elsewhere.
Even though the introduction of artificial intelligence has already taken over many tasks, it has not led to an overall decline in employment. Not even among the groups that now have a harder time finding work at companies that have begun using artificial intelligence. There are also no signs that wages have been affected.
AI will gradually take over some tasks and jobs, but not so quickly that it will produce widespread unemployment. Companies will redesign work so that people increasingly focus on things where introducing artificial intelligence makes less sense. And new graduates will find other work.
If that holds true, Denmark will avoid a problem that is often raised in the debate over artificial intelligence: Some argue that AI differs from the introduction of the steam engine, the assembly line, and the computer because it will reshape the labor market far faster than those earlier technological revolutions – so fast that people will not be able to find new jobs in time.
Still curious? Read the full article here.
In other news
– A new high-rise could derail Denmark’s plans for more UNESCO World Heritage sites
If politicians at Copenhagen City Hall have their way, a 120-meter tower will rise in a few years at the end of Langelinie. But UNESCO’s advisers in Denmark are now warning that the building could have consequences for Frederiksstaden’s bid to be added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Frederiksstaden is the area around Amalienborg Palace and the Marble Church, laid out in 1749 under King Frederik V. It is known for its Rococo urban plan, with long, straight streets, grand mansions, and many listed buildings. The district is one of four sites on Denmark’s so-called tentative list of places aspiring to be inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
– Government moves to crack down on the police’s ’case laundering’
In May, the police drew sharp criticism from the state auditors after a report from the National Audit Office on cases being closed without any real investigation. Now, the government will abolish the police’s use of so-called preliminary inquiry cases in all potential criminal matters and will implement all of the National Audit Office’s recommendations regarding what is known as “case laundering. Preliminary inquiry cases are to be created when, at the time a report is filed, the police are unsure whether the matter involves a criminal offense and, if so, which one.
– In many cases, parents’ involvement in their children’s schooling has become too intense according to Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Far too many parents meddle too much in their children’s schooling and do not show teachers the necessary respect, Løkke says. And they play »a crucially large role« in attempts to explain the dismal PISA results. Too many parents today are not living up to that responsibility, he argues, and that undermines a teacher’s authority. They may speak badly about the teacher at the dinner table. Or they may write to the teacher to say their child went to bed a bit too late and expect that to be taken into account. He has also heard of parents who gather ahead of parent meetings to coordinate their views before they meet the homeroom teacher.
Talk of town: Lukas Graham and all other opening acts pull out of Ed Sheeran’s tour after firing of rapper
Lukas Graham skulle have varmet op for Ed Sheeran på størstedelen af britens stationturné i USA fra på lørdag. Nu har det danske band trukket sig.
Lukas Graham is now pulling out of the U.S. tour where the Danish band was set to open for the British pop star Ed Sheeran. Lead singer Lukas Forchhammer wrote on behalf of the band on Instagram:
»I love Ed, and I’m grateful for what we’ve shared. That hasn’t changed. But I can’t spread the message to the world and keep doing the tour as it is right now. We’re pulling out of the remaining dates«.
The announcement comes after the American rapper Macklemore was fired from the tour after expressing support for Palestine at two concerts.
»We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, and about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag is flying over them«, Lukas Graham writes, among other things, in the Instagram post.
When Macklemore opened for Ed Sheeran earlier this month at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the rapper, according to Rolling Stone, shouted ‘Free Palestine’ from the stage and showed images of bombardments in Gaza.
Read the full story here.
This newsletter features stories originally published in Danish. AI was used to shorten and translate the articles into English, after which a member of the editorial staff reviewed and refined the content.