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For Japan, AI aims to solve a labor shortage, not replace workers. However, the country's rigid lifetime employment system could prevent necessary workforce adaptation. Without flexibility, productivity gains from AI could paradoxically lead to job losses, wage deflation, and price deflation rather than growth.
Instead of a universal productivity boom, AI will eliminate repetitive white-collar jobs. This will shrink the consumer base, reducing overall demand and creating a powerful deflationary force, further entrenching a feudal economic structure with fewer 'lords' and more 'serfs.'
Instead of outright replacing entire roles, AI is more likely to cause significant wage compression. As AI makes certain skills more common, it floods the labor supply for those tasks, driving down pay for both displaced workers and incumbents in affected fields.
The idea that AI will create net new jobs is challenged by the Jevons paradox. Even if demand for work increases, AI's ability to increase the supply of that work even faster leads to wage compression for humans, as seen with London cab drivers post-GPS/Uber.
Contrary to fears of mass unemployment, AI will create massive deflationary pressure, making goods and services cheaper. This will allow people to support their lifestyles by working fewer hours and retiring earlier, leading to a labor shortage as new AI-driven industries simultaneously create new jobs.
Unlike Western countries where job displacement is a primary concern, Japan's culture embraces automation as a solution to its demographic crisis of an aging and shrinking workforce. This widespread acceptance creates a uniquely favorable market for robotics and AI companies.
Contrary to fears of whiplash, a fast and decisive technological shift like AI will likely lead to quicker labor market adjustments. Slower transitions cause people to cling to disappearing jobs, slowing adaptation, whereas a rapid change forces a quicker reallocation of labor.
AI is a key factor in the current labor market stagnation. Companies are reluctant to hire as they assess AI's long-term impact on staffing needs. At the same time, they are holding onto experienced employees who are crucial for implementing and integrating the new AI technologies, thus suppressing layoffs.
The US economy is currently experiencing near-zero job growth despite typical 2% productivity gains. A significant increase in productivity driven by AI, without a corresponding surge in economic output, could paradoxically lead to outright job losses. This creates a scenario where positive productivity news could have negative employment consequences.
The labor market faces a dual threat. Weak demand, linked to tariffs and deglobalization, has already pushed job growth to zero. As AI adoption accelerates productivity, it could further suppress labor demand, potentially tipping the economy into a state of net job decline.
While Western nations debate AI's threat to jobs, Japan's acute labor shortage positions AI as an urgent necessity. This creates a uniquely opportunistic and welcoming market for AI and automation startups, who face far less cultural and political resistance than elsewhere.