People who can’t use AI are the ‘new underclass’? Don’t turn AI into a new source of ‘starting-line anxiety’: People's Daily Rui Ping
Recently, amid the "OpenClaw craze," the claim that "those who cannot use AI are the new underclass" has spread widely across social media platforms. A closer look reveals a familiar formula: first, toss out a sensational conclusion; next, use sets of analogies to ramp up the tension; and finally, steer the audience toward a paid course or training program. In the past, "starting-line anxiety" was tied to school district housing and Mathematical Olympiad classes; today, it has simply put on a new outfit labeled "AI."
Large models are now iterating on a monthly basis, and some people around us can complete a day's worth of work in a single hour. The discomfort brought about by technological transformation is real, and society as a whole is undergoing a period of adaptation. Yet the erroneous label of "AI underclass" replaces a shared process of learning and adaptation with a pessimistic outlook of entrenched social stratification. This is not analyzing or solving a problem - it is peddling panic.
To clarify the issue, we must first recognize a basic fact: the threshold for accessing AI tools is not rising, but falling. AI is not building new walls but tearing down professional barriers, giving ordinary people a bigger stage and more opportunities. As of December 2025, the number of users of generative AI in China had reached 602 million. Products and services like DeepSeek are available for free via open-source models, accessible with just a smartphone. Tasks that once required paying high prices for professional translation or data analysis can now be performed at minimal cost, and the low-cost entrepreneurship such as "one-person companies" is emerging. These facts prove that the leverage effect of AI can help pave an equitable and inclusive path for upward mobility.
As the barriers fall, institutional support is keeping pace. The guideline by the State Council of the People's Republic of China on deeply implementing the "AI Plus" initiative clearly proposes that China's penetration rate of next-generation smart terminals and AI agents will exceed 90 percent by 2030. Starting in the fall semester of 2025, several Chinese cities have introduced AI literacy courses for primary and secondary schools. In some Western countries, the dividends of technology may be monopolized by capital and priced exorbitantly. In China, however, from national strategies to local practices, from compulsory education to lifelong learning, and even to bridging the digital divide for the elderly, ensuring that the fruits of technological progress benefit all people has been a consistent policy direction and practical effort.
Of course, the fact that tools are easy to use does not mean everyone will use them well. For ordinary people, competitiveness in the AI era lies in who is better at identifying problems, discerning information, and combining new tools with their own strengths. These abilities depend less on family wealth than on the willingness to learn and habits of thinking. We see rural teachers using AI to assist lesson preparation, small businesses using it to optimize supply chains, and "new farmers" using it to diagnose crop pests. These scenarios happen every day. Whether you learn early or late, it is never too late as long as you are willing to learn. Instances of latecomers catching up or overtaking on the curve are too numerous to count. In times of change, we are all "fellow travelers" and lifelong learning is the most reliable source of security.
We should broaden our perspective. Looking back at the history of technological revolution - the steam engine, electricity, the internet - which one was not accompanied by similar anxieties? Each time, new technology created a vast number of new jobs, sectors, and opportunities. Roles such as data annotators, model trainers, AI product managers, and algorithm security engineers are emerging. As AI advances rapidly, from model training to application development, from content creation to risk governance, a new employment chain is taking shape. By actively leveraging AI to create new jobs and empower traditional ones, we will achieve inclusive development where technological progress goes hand in hand with improvements in people's livelihoods.
From a macro-historical perspective, humanity has repeatedly turned technological challenges into stepping stones for civilizational leaps. There are institutional advantages ensuring the inclusive access to technology, policy systems guiding a stable transition, and hundreds of millions of workers exploring new possibilities with emerging tools in practice in today's China. In an era that values innovation and encourages striving, it is far better to act proactively than to be constrained by a label that does not withstand scrutiny.
As technology advances and the times move forward, no individual's effort will be in vain.
This article was originally published by the Opinion Department of the People's Daily. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
Large models are now iterating on a monthly basis, and some people around us can complete a day's worth of work in a single hour. The discomfort brought about by technological transformation is real, and society as a whole is undergoing a period of adaptation. Yet the erroneous label of "AI underclass" replaces a shared process of learning and adaptation with a pessimistic outlook of entrenched social stratification. This is not analyzing or solving a problem - it is peddling panic.
To clarify the issue, we must first recognize a basic fact: the threshold for accessing AI tools is not rising, but falling. AI is not building new walls but tearing down professional barriers, giving ordinary people a bigger stage and more opportunities. As of December 2025, the number of users of generative AI in China had reached 602 million. Products and services like DeepSeek are available for free via open-source models, accessible with just a smartphone. Tasks that once required paying high prices for professional translation or data analysis can now be performed at minimal cost, and the low-cost entrepreneurship such as "one-person companies" is emerging. These facts prove that the leverage effect of AI can help pave an equitable and inclusive path for upward mobility.
As the barriers fall, institutional support is keeping pace. The guideline by the State Council of the People's Republic of China on deeply implementing the "AI Plus" initiative clearly proposes that China's penetration rate of next-generation smart terminals and AI agents will exceed 90 percent by 2030. Starting in the fall semester of 2025, several Chinese cities have introduced AI literacy courses for primary and secondary schools. In some Western countries, the dividends of technology may be monopolized by capital and priced exorbitantly. In China, however, from national strategies to local practices, from compulsory education to lifelong learning, and even to bridging the digital divide for the elderly, ensuring that the fruits of technological progress benefit all people has been a consistent policy direction and practical effort.
Of course, the fact that tools are easy to use does not mean everyone will use them well. For ordinary people, competitiveness in the AI era lies in who is better at identifying problems, discerning information, and combining new tools with their own strengths. These abilities depend less on family wealth than on the willingness to learn and habits of thinking. We see rural teachers using AI to assist lesson preparation, small businesses using it to optimize supply chains, and "new farmers" using it to diagnose crop pests. These scenarios happen every day. Whether you learn early or late, it is never too late as long as you are willing to learn. Instances of latecomers catching up or overtaking on the curve are too numerous to count. In times of change, we are all "fellow travelers" and lifelong learning is the most reliable source of security.
We should broaden our perspective. Looking back at the history of technological revolution - the steam engine, electricity, the internet - which one was not accompanied by similar anxieties? Each time, new technology created a vast number of new jobs, sectors, and opportunities. Roles such as data annotators, model trainers, AI product managers, and algorithm security engineers are emerging. As AI advances rapidly, from model training to application development, from content creation to risk governance, a new employment chain is taking shape. By actively leveraging AI to create new jobs and empower traditional ones, we will achieve inclusive development where technological progress goes hand in hand with improvements in people's livelihoods.
From a macro-historical perspective, humanity has repeatedly turned technological challenges into stepping stones for civilizational leaps. There are institutional advantages ensuring the inclusive access to technology, policy systems guiding a stable transition, and hundreds of millions of workers exploring new possibilities with emerging tools in practice in today's China. In an era that values innovation and encourages striving, it is far better to act proactively than to be constrained by a label that does not withstand scrutiny.
As technology advances and the times move forward, no individual's effort will be in vain.
This article was originally published by the Opinion Department of the People's Daily. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
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