Graduates find themselves managing AI agents rather than learning their professions

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 4 Nov, 11:58 · Archive

Recent graduates are increasingly hired to manage artificial intelligence systems rather than learn their professions from the ground up. Lotte Underwood, 25, joined London PR agency Fight or Flight in November as an 'AI associate' after completing a degree and master's in marketing. She spends more time managing around 30 AI agents built by her team than doing actual public relations work. Her responsibilities include checking AI outputs, monitoring how clients appear in responses from tools like ChatGPT and Claude, and feeding information to colleagues who deal directly with clients.

Dillan Patel, 24, a business management graduate, joined engineering software company Stride 18 months ago as an intern and now works as an AI automation analyst, developing internal chatbots and agents. Such roles represent a shift in how companies deploy graduate talent, with AI management becoming a core part of entry-level positions.

However, this shift raises concerns about professional development. Research cited by TechRadar found that 54% of software developers are anxious about their long-term career prospects not because AI has replaced them, but because their roles have changed so fundamentally they feel they need entirely different skills. More than half of developers now 'manage' AI rather than 'use' it, with 61% reporting stress that software development has changed too quickly.

Many graduates feel unsupported and underutilised. The Financial Times reports that lay-offs remain low by historical standards, suggesting AI has not triggered mass job losses. Yet young people may still struggle to find a foothold in the labour market if they are not gaining broad professional experience. TechRadar's research found that nearly half of developers think AI has made their job less attractive, and a third believe it has negatively affected their careers so far.

How it is being reported

• 'AI is changing what it means to be a software developer': New study finds junior workers are scared for their long-term careers as AI takes overDevelopers feel they need to use AI to tick a box, but they don't think it always helps and many feel unsupported by employers.TechRadar · 4 Nov, 11:10
• Graduates are managing AI - but are they learning much else?Graduates are spending more time managing AI, but are they missing out on other work experience?BBC Technology · 4 Nov, 00:04
• The AI problem we feared is not the AI problem we gotLay-offs are low by historical standards but young people may still need help finding a foothold in the labour marketFinancial Times · 3 Nov, 05:00

In this story: Lotte Underwood · Fight or Flight · Dillan Patel · Stride · ChatGPT · Claude · Gemini

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log