Traditional Craft Industries Find Unexpected Resilience Against AI Job Displacement
As artificial intelligence threatens traditional white-collar and creative jobs, endangered craft industries are demonstrating surprising resilience. Skilled artisans in fields from scissor-making to bookbinding are finding security in hands-on work that AI cannot easily replicate.
Career Shift From Digital to Traditional Crafts
Jonathan Reid left a promising digital marketing career in 2019 to become a scissor maker at Ernest Wright, the UK’s last traditional handmade scissor manufacturer. According to reports, his unexpected career move reflects a growing trend of workers seeking employment in fields less vulnerable to artificial intelligence automation. Reid reportedly told sources that he now feels “more secure in his job” despite working in one of Britain’s 165 endangered heritage crafts.