General U.S. NewsJun 20, 2026·3 min read

Replika founder predicts 'crazy protests' over AI: 'People are really struggling to find jobs'

Business Insider – Tech

1h ago

Replika founder predicts 'crazy protests' over AI: 'People are really struggling to find jobs'

Summary

Eugenia Kuyda founded Replika and Wabi. Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images Fears around AI job loss are justified, said Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda. Kuyda said she believes "crazy protests around jobs and AI are going to start happening." Despite concerns, the Wabi CEO said she sees AI's potential to enable more people to create. The founder of the AI chatbot startup Replika says fears about AI eliminating jobs are "justified" — and could eventually trigger widespread backlash and protests. Eugenia Kuyda, who is also the CEO and founder of AI-powered mini-app platform Wabi, said during a recent live episode of the Platformer podcast that she believes "crazy protests around jobs and AI are going to start happening." "We'll live in this very optimistic city where it's all about like future, future, future, but as soon as you get out of here, like it's pretty scary," Kuyda told Platformer founder Casey Newton. "People are really struggling to find jobs, and I think this can only get worse." Kuyda pushed back on the argument that AI will create new jobs the way previous technological revolutions did, saying that companies, including her own, are already scaling back on hiring for entry-level roles . "Probably tech needs to create a better narrative of how this is going to be, but I don't believe in, 'oh, it's just another technology, and we'll have even more — like radiologists still exist,'" Kuyda said. "But I'm not hiring people anymore for these junior jobs, and I don't know who is," the AI entrepreneur added. Hiring a more inexperienced person, she said, "becomes extremely expensive and completely not sustainable for a startup." "That's like really bad news, frankly," said Kuyda. Kuyda declined to comment further when contacted by Business Insider.

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Norway restricts AI use in schools, cites concerns over learning and cognitive skills

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Friday said Norway is imposing a near-ban on the use of generative AI in elementary classes and restrictive usage for students admitted to higher education institutions, saying the measures are aimed at strengthening foundational learning skills and reducing excessive dependence on AI tools , impacting the learning curve of the students, news agency Reuters reported. To reverse the effects of the implementation of tablets and iPads, the legislation plans to use the funds to buy more books for the classroom, the government said. The Norwegian government plans to ban the usage of social media by younger children in April, following the framework implemented by Australia and other nations. (The article is curated by Salonee Kulkarni, who is an intern with The Indian Express) The Express Global Desk at indianexpress.com which delivers authoritative, verified, and context-driven coverage of key international developments shaping global politics, policy, and migration trends. The desk focuses on stories with direct relevance for Indian and global audiences, combining breaking news with in-depth explainers and analysis. A major focus area of the desk is US immigration and visa policy, including developments related to student visas, work permits, permanent residency pathways, executive actions, and court rulings. The Global Desk also closely tracks Canada’s immigration, visa, and study policies, covering changes to study permits, post-study work options, permanent residence programmes, and regulatory updates affecting migrants and international students. All reporting from the Global Desk adheres to The Indian Express’ editorial standards, relying on official data, government notifications, court documents, and on-record sources. Core Team The Express Global Desk is led by a team of experienced journalists and editors with deep expertise in international affairs and migration policy: Aniruddha Dhar – Senior Assistant Editor with extensive experience in global affairs, international politics, and editorial leadership. Nischai Vats – Deputy Copy Editor specialising in US politics, US visa and immigration policy, and policy-driven international coverage. Mashkoora Khan – Sub-editor focusing on global developments, with a strong emphasis on Canada visa, immigration, and study-related policy coverage. ...

What the US-Iran peace deal means for the ‘Team Melli’ World Cup campaign

The Iranian football team began their World Cup campaign under the shadow of a war with the United States. They soon became collateral damage in the conflict with strict conditions on their visas to the US and other difficulties. Now, as a peace deal emerges between the US and Iran, experts have asked what this could mean for Team Melli – as the Iranian squad is known – in the tournament. Although World Cup hosts have been at war with other nations at the time of tournaments, and Argentina was also in the midst of the Dirty War during the 1978 tournament, there has not been a single case of an organiser being embroiled in a conflict with another participant, as is the case with the US and Iran. Iran’s football team has been held hostage to the US’s immigration whims right up till the start of the tournament. Whether the team would even be allowed into the country remained unknown as FIFA President Gianni Infantino appeared unable to secure any guarantees from Trump about the Iranian team’s visa situation. While neither side has released a physical copy of the memorandum of understanding, nor are World Cup-specific arrangements expected to be written in, experts hope that the agreement translates to more amicable treatment for the Iranian football team in the US. “With a peace deal, things can change,” Mortazavi said in an interview with Al Jazeera. “We can see President Trump’s rhetoric on Iran has dramatically changed over the past few days, and he’s suddenly talking about better relationships with Iran from a political and economic standpoint, and that can certainly extend to sports,” she continued. A slight thawing of relations ahead of the peace deal announcement came as the US on Tuesday quickly reissued a multiple-entry visa for Iran winger Mehdi Torabi after his visa expired following the game with New Zealand. However, political scholar Niki Akhavan cautioned that Trump might renege on the deal due to the immense pressure he faces from Republican anti-Iran hardliners, pro-Israel groups and Democrats for giving Iran “too much” in the peace deal. “But, in the best-case scenario, issuing a multiple-entry visa for Torabi may be a good indication of some kind of flexibility on the US’s part to actually adhere to its responsibilities as a host nation,” Akhavan told Al Jazeera. “The comments Trump has made today on Iran are friendly comments, we might see better treatment of the Iran team, which has been unfairly treated the most. It’s a sign of them softening their unreasonable stance towards Iran.” Akhavan’s caution stood true as tensions at the World Cup reignited after the solitary goodwill gesture of Torabi’s visa renewal.

Replika founder predicts 'crazy protests' over AI: 'People are really struggling to find jobs'

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