China’s AI boom comes at a cost as workers face layoffs, shrinking pay and uncertain jobs

Computer programmer Fei Zhaojun’s boss asked him if artificial intelligence could soon replace humans in coding jobs. Two weeks later, he was laid off from his job in Beijing, together with about 160 of his colleagues.

It’s an increasingly common scenario as artificial intelligence, supported by government policies, reshapes China’s massive job market. Some economists believe that might eventually undermine the overall strength of the world’s second largest economy.