AI is eliminating the bottom rung. National service can replace it

Published April 29, 2026 10:00am ET



Artificial intelligence is upending the labor market, eliminating the bottom rungs of the career ladder. Unless we take bold action, young people — especially young men — will be the first to fall.

Whether AI ultimately destroys jobs or merely reshuffles them, millions of young Americans will bear the cost. We are sleepwalking into the most significant economic transformation of our lifetimes, and the answer isn’t government handouts or universal basic income

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