US judge sets June 23 trial date over Boeing crashes


By AFP
March 25, 2025


A Boeing 737 MAX aircraft is assembled at the Boeing Renton Factory in Washington state in June 2024 - Copyright POOL/AFP/File Jennifer Buchanan

Daniel AVIS

A US federal judge on Tuesday set a trial date of June 23 in the Justice Department’s criminal case against aircraft manufacturer Boeing over two deadly 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.

In two court filings in Texas, Judge Reed O’Connor said he was vacating an April 11 deadline for Boeing and prosecutors to announce progress on a plea deal, and moving ahead with the trial over the two crashes, in which altogether 346 people died.

After the accidents, all 737 MAXs were grounded for 20 months worldwide. Boeing admitted in April 2019 that its Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) — an anti-stall software — had been partly to blame.

In a statement Tuesday, Boeing said it was still engaged in “good faith discussions” with the Justice Department regarding an “appropriate” resolution of the matter.

Despite Tuesday’s decision, the company could still in theory reach agreement with the prosecution on a new guilty plea, which would spare it the reputational damage that would likely be associated with a public criminal trial.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the case.

“I am so happy that Judge O’Connor of Texas… has put an end to the delaying tactics of Boeing and the Department of Justice,” said Catherine Berthet, whose daughter Camille died in one of the crashes.

“Finally (there is) going to be a trial,” Berthet told AFP.

– ‘A trial is necessary’ –

Boeing agreed last July to plead guilty to fraud after the Justice Department found the company failed to improve its compliance and ethics program, in breach of a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement following the two MAX crashes.

That deal had been approved to address the disasters in Ethiopia and Indonesia.

But in December, a judge in Texas rejected the 2024 settlement over apparent flaws in the selection process for a monitor to ensure Boeing’s compliance, sending the company and the government back to continue discussions.

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Boeing was looking to overturn the plea deal related to the 737 MAX crashes, in the hope that the administration of Donald Trump would show it more leniency.

“Allowing Boeing to rescind its plea agreement, or lightening the company’s punishment, would mark one of the most prominent examples of the Trump administration’s lighter-touch approach to some white-collar enforcement,” the Journal said.

It was not immediately clear why O’Connor decided to cancel the April 11 deadline for the plea deal and move directly to trial.

“For years we have been fighting, and I am fighting, on behalf of the victims and my daughter Camille, for truth and justice,” said Berthet.

“A trial is necessary to bring this truth to light.”

MERCANTILIST TRUMP GANGSTERISM

France’s Schneider Electric announces $700 mn investment in US for AI and energy


By AFP
March 26, 2025


Schneider Electric generates more than a third of its revenue in the United States - Copyright AFP/File JOEL SAGET

French electrical equipment company Schneider Electric said on Wednesday it plans to invest “more than $700 million” in the United States by 2027 to boost energy security and the growth of artificial intelligence.

The company, which generates more than a third of its revenue in the United States, intends to “support the country’s focus on bolstering the nation’s energy infrastructure to power AI growth, boost domestic manufacturing, and strengthen energy security”, according to a press release.

“This new planned investment is expected to create over 1,000 new jobs and help Schneider Electric continue to play a leading role in shaping a more innovative, affordable, and energy-efficient future in the U.S.”, it said. The French company already employs 21,000 staff in the country.

Schneider’s announcement comes amid President Donald Trump’s promise to impose “reciprocal” customs duties on all US trading partners, in the hope of attracting more foreign manufacturers.

“Schneider Electric’s significant investment is a clear sign that manufacturing in America is moving forward — driving economic growth, innovation and job creation across the country,” National Association of Manufacturers President Jay Timmons was quoted as saying in the communique.

UK town motors on as historic Vauxhall plant to shut


By AFP
March 27, 2025


It is the end of an era as British car brand Vauxhall stops production at its historic plant in Luton after 120 years and with the loss of 1,100 jobs - Copyright AFP Ben STANSALL

Ben PERRY

At regular intervals, vehicle transporters exited the front gates of the historic Vauxhall plant in the English town of Luton, loaded with white electric vans straight off the assembly line.

From the outside it appeared to be business as usual at the ageing factory that has churned out vehicles for 120 years, including for the British army during two World Wars.

Inside the large facility however, multinational owner Stellantis plans to switch off machines for a final time in the coming days, blaming the move on rising costs linked to Brexit and a sector-wide transition to electric vehicle (EV) production.

Some 1,100 jobs are set to be lost at the plant north of London currently making electric Vauxhall and Peugeot vans, dealing a “devastating blow” to the town according to Luton Borough Council which estimates a similar number of layoffs across the supply chain.



– End of an era –



However for some staff seeing out their final few days at the plant — unions said production could end Friday — there are signs of hope.

“There’s a jobs fair here next week so I’ll probably go to that,” Lynette Edwards, 32, told AFP at a shift changeover.

“I’ve worked here for six years fitting van parts,” said Edwards, dressed in black workshop attire, adding that there were employment opportunities at the council and local transport companies.

She was joined outside the factory, which sits in the shadow of London Luton Airport, by workers of all ages, some in a more fortunate position than others.

“I’ve worked here 37 years, my family worked here, my dad, my sister, my brother, uncles, aunts, they’ve all been through here,” said a grey-haired panel loader who did not wish to share his name.

“To be honest with you, it fell nicely for me,” he said of the closure, adding that were the plant to stay open, he would not be retiring in December with a payout.

“But for people in there, the youngsters, not so good,” he said, looking back at the plant emblazoned with Vauxhall’s griffin logo.

“They’ve all got to be looking for work. There are people with mortgages, children,” said the 62-year-old, followed by a sigh.

According to the union Unite, only a “handful” of workers have taken up an offer from Stellantis — whose brands include Chrysler, Fiat, Jeep and Opel — to relocate to the car giant’s other UK plant in Ellesmere Port on England’s northwest coast.

“If you’re someone who lives in Luton, you don’t really want to be relocated” some 175 miles (280 kilometres) away, Lewis Norton, Unite organiser for the automotive sector, told AFP.

He noted that the median age for UK car plant workers was around 45 years old.

“These are predominantly people who are tied to a town they live in. That’s why the jobs are usually relatively parochial.”



– Universal Studios? –



Stellantis has said it is investing £50 million (around $65 million) in the Ellesmere site as it looks to consolidate its EV production in Britain.

The company argues that UK government rules imposed to accelerate EV transition partly drove its announcement in November to shut the Luton factory.

At its peak in the 1960s, the plant employed about 35,000 under Vauxhall’s longest-serving owner General Motors, which sold the brand to Stellantis’s French forerunner PSA Group in 2017.

“It’s a really difficult time for those that are facing redundancy from the closure,” said Justin Richardson, chief executive at Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, the county that is home to Luton.

“But there’s a lot of opportunity,” he insisted, pointing to a looming expansion of the airport and a new stadium for the local football club, Luton Town, relegated from the Premier League last season.

US entertainment group Universal Studios is meanwhile looking to build a theme park in Bedfordshire, its first in Europe, which could create thousands of jobs.

Sudan’s booming wartime gold trade flows through the UAE


By AFP

March 27, 2025


A woman examines gold jewellery at a shop in Dubai - Copyright AFP Mandel NGAN

Sudan’s gold industry has become the lifeblood of its war, with nearly all of the trade channelled through the United Arab Emirates, enriching both the army and paramilitaries, according to official and NGO sources.

The two-year conflict has decimated Sudan’s economy, yet last month the army-backed government announced record gold production in 2024.

Demand for the country’s vast gold reserves was “a key factor in prolonging the war,” Sudanese economist Abdelazim al-Amawy told AFP.

“To solve the war in Sudan, we have to follow the gold, and we arrive at the UAE,” said Marc Ummel, a researcher with development organisation Swissaid who tracks African gold smuggling to the Gulf country.

In a statement to AFP, a UAE official rejected “any baseless and unfounded allegation regarding the smuggling or profiting of gold”.

But according to Sudanese officials, mining industry sources and Swissaid’s research, nearly all of Sudan’s gold flows to the UAE, via official trade routes, smuggling and direct Emirati ownership of the government’s currently most lucrative mine.

In February, the state-owned Sudan Mineral Resources Company said gold production reached 64 tonnes in 2024, up from 41.8 tonnes in 2022.

Legal exports brought $1.57 billion into the state’s depleted coffers, central bank figures show.

But “nearly half of the state’s production is smuggled across borders,” SMRC director Mohammed Taher told AFP from Port Sudan.

Nearly 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) away, on Sudan’s borders with South Sudan and the Central African Republic, lie the mines controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Much of the gold produced by both sides is smuggled to Chad, South Sudan and Egypt, before reaching the UAE, according to mining industry sources and experts.



– Emirati assets –



This month, Sudan filed a case with the International Court of Justice, accusing the UAE of complicity in genocide committed by the RSF in Darfur.

Abu Dhabi, which has repeatedly denied accusations of funnelling weapons to the RSF, has called the case a “publicity stunt” and said it would seek to have it thrown out.

But the UAE has also played a major role in the government’s wartime gold rush, indirectly helping to fund its war effort.

According to Taher, 90 percent of the state’s legal exports of gold go to the UAE, though the government is eyeing alternatives, including Qatar and Turkey.

In the heart of army territory, halfway between Port Sudan and Khartoum, Sudan’s Kush mine is the centrepiece of the government’s gold industry.

Evacuated when the war began, it is now back to producing hundreds of kilograms per month, according to an engineer at the Russian-built facility, owned by Dubai-based Emiral Resources.

On its website, Emiral lists Kush as one of its holdings, alongside subsidiary Alliance for Mining, which it says is “the largest industrial gold producer in Sudan”.

According to a gold industry source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for his safety, in 2020 the mine “was bought by an Emirati investor who agreed to keep Russian management on”.



– Underground –



According to data from Dubai’s commodities exchange, the UAE became the world’s second-largest gold exporter in 2023, overtaking Britain.

It is also the leading destination for smuggled African gold, according to Swissaid.

Abu Dhabi says it has adopted a “responsible gold sourcing policy”, including a regulatory legal framework revised in January 2023, to develop a “well-regulated gold sector”.

According to Ummel, “when you look at the figures, that’s not the case.”

“If this ‘Due Diligence Regulations for Responsible Sourcing of Gold’ was really implemented, all refineries in the UAE would have to do due diligence, the most basic element of which is to make sure your gold was declared in the country where it comes from,” he said.

In 2023, data obtained by Swissaid showed UAE gold imports from Chad — on Sudan’s western border — were more than double the country’s estimated maximum capacity, suggesting the majority of it was undeclared and smuggled across borders.

Ummel says there is no indication the UAE’s conflict-gold market has shrunk in recent years.

In the vast Darfur region, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo has controlled gold mines for years.

According to Sudan expert Alex de Waal, these enabled him to establish a “private transnational mercenary enterprise”, mainly through his family’s Al-Junaid Multi Activities Co — sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union.

A UN panel of experts last year concluded that Daglo’s gold wealth, through a network of up to 50 companies, helped him buy weapons and bankroll his war effort.

Three former Al-Junaid engineers estimated the company’s wartime earnings at a minimum of $1 billion per year, based on approximate production and gold prices.

Darfur’s southern border area alone produces at least 150 kilograms of gold per month, one former engineer told AFP.

It is sent first to an airport in the South Sudanese town of Raga, “and then transported by plane to Uganda and Kenya, and then to the UAE”, the engineer, who had taken the trip himself, said on condition of anonymity.

According to Ummel, “the UAE is not really implementing their regulation, they don’t carry out all the necessary controls and at the end they are continuing to fund the war.”

Israel releases Palestinian Oscar winner after West Bank detention


By AFP
March 25, 2025


Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal was detained by Israeli forces - Copyright AFP/File ANGELA WEISS

Israeli police released Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal on Tuesday, after detaining him a day earlier for “hurling rocks” following what activists described as an attack by settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Basel Adra, who worked with Ballal on the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land”, posted a photo of Ballal on X after his release with blood stains on his shirt.

“After I won the Oscar, I did not expect to be exposed to such attacks,” Ballal said in a video by AFPTV.

“It was a very strong attack and the goal was to kill.”

According to the Israeli military, three Palestinians were apprehended on Monday for “hurling rocks” during a confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians in the southern West Bank village of Susya.

“Following this, a violent confrontation broke out, involving mutual rock hurling between Palestinians and Israelis,” the military statement said.

The village is located near Masafer Yatta, a grouping of hamlets south of Hebron city where “No Other Land” is set.

The best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards tells the story of forced displacement of Palestinians by Israeli troops and settlers in Masafer Yatta — an area Israel had declared a restricted military zone in the 1980s.

A police spokesperson confirmed Ballal had been detained, while a later statement from the force said three people had been released on bail.

The statement said they were being investigated “on suspicion of rock hurling, property damage and endangering regional security”.



– ‘Hitting me all over’ –



Ballal said he had been attacked by a settler.

“He was hitting me all over my body and there was also a soldier with him hitting me.”

Yuval Abraham, who co-directed “No Other Land”, said Ballal has injuries to the “head and stomach, bleeding”.

Activists from the anti-occupation group Center for Jewish Nonviolence said they witnessed the violence in Susya while there in an effort to deter settler violence.

“This type of violence is happening on a regular basis,” said Jenna, an American activist who declined to share her full name out of security concerns.

She said that before Israeli forces arrived, a group of 15 to 20 settlers attacked the activists as well as Ballal’s house in the village.

Foreign activists regularly stay in Masafer Yatta’s communities to accompany Palestinians as they tend to their crops or shepherd their sheep, and document instances of settler violence.

Rights groups have said that since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza — a separate Palestinian territory — there has been a spike in attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Occupied by Israel since 1967, the West Bank is home to around three million Palestinians, as well as nearly half a million Israelis who live in settlements that are illegal under international law.

Israel parliament passes judicial reform law, opposition challenges

By AFP
March 27, 2025


Israelis rally outside the parliament in Jerusalem on March 26, 2025, calling for an end to the war in Gaza, the return of all the hostages held by Hamas and against judicial reforms - Copyright AFP Mandel NGAN

Hiba Aslan

Israel’s parliament Thursday passed a law expanding elected officials’ power to appoint judges, defying a years-long movement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial reforms that saw massive street protests.

The approval comes as Netanyahu’s government, one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history, is locked in a standoff with the supreme court after beginning proceedings to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Ronen Bar, head of the internal security agency.

The opposition, which swiftly filed a petition with the supreme court challenging the vote, views these judicial reforms as signs of Netanyahu’s authoritarian shift toward an illiberal democracy.

The legislation was approved by a vote of 67 in favour and one against, with the opposition boycotting the early-morning vote.

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has 120 lawmakers.

The overall judicial reform package had sparked one of the largest protest movements in Israel’s history in 2023 before being overtaken by the war in Gaza.

The war began following the deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

Yair Lapid, leader of the centre-right Yesh Atid party, announced on social media platform X that he had filed an appeal with the supreme court against the law on behalf of several opposition parties, just minutes after the parliamentary vote.

According to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who sponsored the bill, the measure was intended to “restore balance” between the legislative and judicial branches.

In his closing remarks ahead of the vote, Levin slammed the supreme court for what he described had “effectively nullified the Knesset”.

“It has taken for itself the authority to cancel laws and even Basic Laws. This is something unheard of in any democracy in the world,” said Levin, the key architect of the judicial reforms.

“But our supreme court didn’t stop at trampling the Knesset; it placed itself above the government. It can annul any government action, compel the government to perform any action, cancel any government appointment.”



– ‘Hypocrisy’ –



Levin said with the new bill the country was “opening a new page”.

“It is hypocrisy and one-sided to say that the Knesset is forbidden to act while the court is allowed to act in the middle of a war,” Levin said.

“The days of appeasement and silencing are over, never to return. I am proud to stand here and demand justice, and I am even prouder to deliver justice.”

Currently, judges — including supreme court justices — are selected by a nine-member committee comprising judges, lawmakers, and bar association representatives, under the justice minister’s supervision.

Under the new law, which would take effect at the start of the next legislative term, the committee would still have nine members: three supreme court judges, the justice minister and another minister, one coalition lawmaker, one opposition lawmaker, and two public representatives -— one appointed by the majority and the other by the opposition.

The government’s judicial reforms package, first unveiled in early 2023, had triggered massive street protests that effectively divided Israeli society.

Netanyahu’s detractors warn the multi-pronged package could pave the way for authoritarian rule and be used by Netanyahu to quash possible convictions against him in his ongoing corruption trial, an accusation the premier denies.

Protesters had rallied weekly against the government reforms since they were unveiled.

Rallies have once again erupted in key cities, and on Wednesday thousands protested against the bill before it was approved in parliament.

Netanyahu had slammed the opposition on Wednesday during a speech in parliament.

“You recycle the same worn-out and ridiculous slogans about ‘the end of democracy’. Well, once and for all: Democracy is not in danger, it is the power of the bureaucrats that is in danger.

“Perhaps you could stop putting spanners in the works of the government in the middle of a war. Perhaps you could stop fuelling the sedition, hatred and anarchy in the streets.”

Tesla troubles: Speed bump or early signs of impending crash?


By AFP
March 26, 2025


With Elon Musk's dive into politics and rising competition, is Tesla running out of gas? - Copyright AFP Frederic J. BROWN

Tesla, the Elon Musk-run auto company, has had a turbulent time recently, fueled by its chief executive’s close ties to Donald Trump and increased electric vehicle competition.

The mounting issues have sent the company’s share price tumbling in recent weeks. Here are some of the biggest challenges it faces:

– Pole position under threat –

Gone are the days when Tesla was far and away the world leader in electric vehicle sales.

China’s BYD is now snapping at Tesla’s heels, selling 1.76 million vehicles in 2024 — up 12 percent year-on-year — to Tesla’s 1.79 million, a one percent decline.

Including hybrid vehicles, BYD’s revenues actually exceeded the US auto maker’s last year, $107.2 billion to $97.7 billion.

To make matters worse, Musk’s leading role in the Trump administration — and vocal support for far-right politics in Europe — appears to be hampering Tesla’s bottom line.

The company’s registrations fell 49 percent year-on-year in January and February in the European Union.

Tesla has “moderated” its initial forecast of a 20-to-30 percent sales increase in 2025, according to CFRA Research analyst Garrett Nelson.

“We’re looking at a 5 percent decline but it could be much more than that,” he told AFP.

– Potholes –

In the United States, France, and Germany, Tesla stores, charging stations and vehicles have been vandalized in recent weeks.

Protests have also been called in which participants have criticized the world’s richest person for his heavy hand in US and international politics.

In New York, one recent sign asserted that “Tesla finances fascism” and called for a boycott of its cars.

And in Germany, where an arson attack in March 2024 halted production at Tesla’s plant in Germany, Musk has come under heavy criticism for his support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the parliamentary elections.

“The biggest concern now is regarding the brand value,” said Nelson from CFRA.

“Picking a side, Republican or Democrat, can really do a lot of damage,” he added, pointing to the way Tesla’s stock had fallen “dramatically,” losing around a third of its value since the start of the year.

Tesla is also suffering because the range of vehicles it has for sale has remained largely unchanged since the Model Y was released in 2020.

“Lack of innovation, lack of new models,” Nelson said, adding this was a “big reason why Tesla has lost market share in China to BYD.”

The Cybertruck was the only new model to be released recently, but its sales had been “very disappointing,” he said.

The pickup truck, which was plagued by delays, was finally released at the end of 2023, but has since suffered a series of recalls.

The latest, on March 20, concerned all 46,096 Cybertrucks currently in circulation, whose body panels were in danger of coming unstuck.

Tesla’s long-promised low-cost model still seems to be a long way off.

– Escape routes –

The brand’s salvation could come from its full self-driving (FSD) feature, where it has a “major advantage” that represents a “huge market opportunity,” with a global market estimated at $5 trillion, Nelson said.

He thinks Tesla is in a stronger position than Google’s Waymo, whose robotaxis have operated in several US cities since 2010.

However, the company’s much-trailed Cybercab competitor is still several months away from starting road trials in Austin, Texas.

The Trump administration is preparing a “new” federal regulatory framework for fully autonomous driving, Nelson said, adding it has also begun to reduce support for the energy transition, which should benefit Tesla given its comparative advantage in the United States.

In his view, Tesla and Musk both enjoy the unwavering loyalty of shareholders, but to reassure them, some sort of senior executive should be appointed to take care of the day-to-day running of the company from Musk.

“He is spending most of his time in Washington, D.C., right now,” Nelson said.

“He is less focused on the day to day of what’s happening operationally at such a critical time in Tesla’s history.”

CAPITALI$T TERRORISM

Market tracker expects brands’ fear of Musk to boost X ad revenue

By AFP
March 26, 2025


An Emarketer analyst believes advertisers might be resigning themselves to the inevitability of vile content on social media platforms like X, formerly Twitter, as they pull back on moderating content - Copyright AFP Nicolas TUCAT

Emarketer on Wednesday forecast that ad revenue at X, formerly Twitter, will grow this year as brands fear retaliation by politically connected owner Elon Musk if they stay away.

X’s billionaire owner, the world’s richest person, is a major financial backer of US President Donald Trump, and heads a Department of Government Efficiency that has been slashing the ranks of government employees.

“Many advertisers may view spending on X as a cost of doing business in order to mitigate potential legal or financial repercussions,” said Emarketer principal analyst Jasmine Enberg.

“But fear is not a sustainable motivator and the situation remains volatile, partly as some consumers’ discontent toward Musk grows.”

Also factored into the expectation that X will have its first year of positive ad growth since 2021 was Meta’s decision to drop or amend content moderation protocols, as the tech giant cozies up to Trump.

Industry watchers expect the hateful content that has flourished on X under Musk to also pervade Meta’s platforms as the changes go into effect.

Emarketer expects X ad revenue worldwide to grow 16.5 percent this year, after losing ground annually since Musk bought Twitter for about $44 billion in late 2022.

“X’s ad business is recovering, but it’s too soon to call it a rebound,” Enberg said.

The social media platform’s forecasted revenue this year will still be less than it was in 2019, according to Emarketer.

X has managed to attract advertising from small- and medium-sized businesses that Twitter historically struggled to win over, the analyst said.

Meta’s recent decision to ease off on moderating content could be benefitting X, Enberg reasoned.

Emarketer forecast that Meta ad revenue will grow slightly more than 11 percent in the United States this year.

“While advertisers still care about brand safety, many are getting a reality check that they may not have as much control over where and how their ads show up as they thought,” Enberg said.

“The kind of hateful and controversial content that prompted advertisers to flee X is no more acceptable, but there is a sense that it could become unavoidable.”

AI’s impact on jobs, tech’s touchy topic

By AFP
March 27, 2025


Tech giants have been loathe to discuss the potential for new uses of AI to destroy jobs - Copyright AFP LLUIS GENE

Thomas URBAIN

“Stop Hiring Humans” read a provocative sign at an AI conference in Las Vegas, where the impact of new artificial intelligence models on the world of work had sparked some unease.

“We’re not worried about tiptoeing around. We’re sparking the conversation,” said Fahad Alam of Artisan, a startup, at the HumanX AI event.

The San Francisco company is promoting AI agents — virtual sales representatives that identify potential customers, contact them, write emails, and schedule appointments.

AI agents, which are supposed to make decisions that are usually made by humans, have become the latest buzzword of the generative AI story that began with the release of ChatGPT in 2022.

With its offering, Artisan’s typical avatar, Ava, costs 96 percent less than a human performing the same tasks, according to the company’s website.

The startup’s straight-to-the-point approach sharply contrasts with most generative AI companies, who tread cautiously on whether ChatGPT-like technologies will leave human workers unemployed by the wayside.

“I don’t fundamentally think it’s about displacing employees as much as better leveraging them for the things only humans can do,” said Josh Constine of SignalFire, a venture capital firm.

Predictions can vary wildly. Goldman Sachs estimates AI could eliminate 300 million jobs globally through automation.

An 2024 Metrigy report found 89 percent of firms surveyed reduced customer relations staff in the previous year due to generative AI.

On the other hand, 70 percent of major companies surveyed by the World Economic Forum said they planned to hire workers with AI-related skills in the coming years.

“It’s natural evolution,” said Joe Murphy of D-iD, which offers video avatars and recently struck a partnership with Microsoft.

“Like the car’s invention, AI will create a new sector. Jobs will be created and lost simultaneously.”

Supporting this theory, data from the US Department of Labor shows jobs for secretaries and administrative assistants fell from 4.1 million to 3.4 million between 1992 and 2023, coinciding with the rise of office computing.

During the same period, the number of computer scientists more than doubled, from approximately 500,000 to 1.2 million.

Still, given the sensitivities about replacing humans, some advise discretion.

“You’re selling software that replaces a significant part of their team,” said Tomasz Tunguz, founder of Theory Ventures. “You can’t sell that overtly.”

“Some clients candidly don’t want it known they’re using AI,” added Alam.

– ‘Inevitable’ –

There is little doubt that some kind of upheaval of the workplace is underway, but its precise impact remains uncertain.

Analysts predict job losses for programmers, call center operators, translators, and travel agents.

However, others caution against taking bold statements — or reassurances — by startups at face value.

“Technology innovators learn communication skills by overstating the positive, underplaying the negative,” said Mark Hass, marketing professor at Arizona State University.

But many startups reject the notion they’re misleading on job impacts.

“The majority of people we’re talking to aren’t doing this because of efficiency. They’re doing this because of top-line revenue growth,” said Paloma Ochi of Decagon, a marketing AI startup.

“And when the business grows, that’s good for everyone. There are going to be more jobs for humans within that business.”

“Most customers don’t want to let people go,” said Joshua Rumsey, a senior sales engineer at Aisera, whose AI agents are used in finance and HR. Though they are “looking to grow without hiring new agents as existing ones leave.”

Given the disruptions, Hass advocated for greater transparency, warning that surprising the public with negative impacts on livelihoods could lead to backlash.

“Talking about the implications doesn’t weaken the case for AI, because I think it’s inevitable. Not talking about it in a wholesome way creates the opportunity for misunderstanding,” he said.

China chip insiders eye stronger global ties despite trade tensions


By AFP
March 26, 2025


People attend the SEMICON China semiconductor exhibition in Shanghai on March 26, 2025. - Copyright AFP STR

Jing Xuan TENG

Industry insiders at a semiconductor trade fair in Shanghai urged more cooperation between the Chinese chip sector and the rest of the world, despite growing trade tensions with Washington.

Visitors thronged the Semicon expo as it opened on Wednesday, with exhibitors using loudspeakers and bright banners to advertise everything from silicon wafers and chip testing equipment to adhesives and glass pipes.

China’s burgeoning semiconductor sector has faced pressure from the United States and some European governments in recent years, with Washington blacklisting dozens of companies this week over national security concerns.

US President Donald Trump has vowed to ramp up trade curbs on Chinese chip companies, while pressuring allies to restrict business with Beijing — attempting to isolate the world’s second largest semiconductor market.

Still, Xiao Jincheng, co-founder of Suzhou Zunheng Semiconductor Technology Company, told AFP “it is our dream to expand globally”.

China has sought in recent years to become self-sufficient in the semiconductor industry, with Beijing pouring billions of dollars into a massive chip fund.

Xiao, whose company sells chip-making equipment, said he still believed that “in the future we may need cooperation across the global industrial chain”.

– Self-sufficiency? –

Xiao’s sentiment was echoed by Ram Trichur, a semiconductor specialist at German materials giant Henkel.

“Semiconductor innovation cannot happen in isolation,” Trichur told AFP.

“The ecosystem has to work together to be productive,” he said.

Across the cavernous halls that house the trade fair, Chinese companies showed off lists of foreign clients, while one put up a sign proclaiming its wish to “sincerely invite foreign agent”.

Still, there were signs of unease at the fair on Wednesday, with multiple Chinese firms and one European group telling AFP the topic of curbs on China’s semiconductor trade was too sensitive to discuss.

“The limitations from the United States do have a certain impact on us,” Zhou Dongdong, a product manager at equipment supplier Wuxi Evergrand Electronic Scientific Technology Co., told AFP.

But Zhou said he believed restrictions could spur China’s chip supply chain to make “breakthroughs”.

Trichur told AFP the challenges faced by Chinese firms could result in “catalyzing their innovation to make some big gains in the front end technologies”.

Computer chips — used in everything from refrigerators and vacuum cleaners to smartphones and electric vehicles — now occupy a crucial position in the global economy.

Experts have long considered China to be lagging behind the United States in the race to secure sufficient access to cutting-edge semiconductors.

But the shock release in January of an AI chatbot developed by Chinese firm DeepSeek, apparently at a fraction of the cost needed for US-based OpenAI to produce its ChatGPT tool, has suggested that US trade curbs have not been entirely successful.

Still, Chinese chipmakers face headwinds, with top firm SMIC saying last month that its 2024 profit had plunged significantly from the previous year on the back of souring trade relations between Beijing and Washington.