Key Facts

• May Day started in the US in 1886 with strikes for an eight-hour workday but is not widely celebrated there; the US and Canada celebrate Labour Day in September instead.
• Many workers’ jobs are being replaced by AI, with Amazon laying off 16,000 employees in 2024 and planning to replace over half a million jobs with robots.
• The US is a leader in AI development, which some see as a step toward replacing human workers with machines.
• In San Francisco, a major tech hub, billboards promote AI and suggest replacing human workers to do only enjoyable tasks.
• Critics say AI-driven job cuts ignore that many workers need their jobs to afford basic needs like food and housing.
• The debate highlights a conflict between business interests favoring AI and workers’ rights in a country struggling with social issues like healthcare and housing affordability.
• Some say billionaires prefer a world with fewer workers to avoid dealing with workers' demands for fair treatment.
• Job insecurity and unstable work are common under capitalism, making workers less likely to protest or demand better conditions.