S8 Ep353: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: AI AND THE RISE OF SKILLED TRADES Guest: Chris Riegel Riegel discusses how artificial intelligence displaces white-collar professions like journalism and law yet cannot perform physical tasks like welding or truck repair. Skilled
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 22 January 2026
⏱️ 1 minutes
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| 0:00.0 | This is John Batchel, a conversation with Chris Regal, who has business around the world |
| 0:05.1 | and has a great insight in hiring from the QSRs to the franchises and the white color jobs |
| 0:15.8 | and how AI is changing the landscape. As Chris puts it very straightforwardly, welding. |
| 0:23.1 | That's something an AI can't do. |
| 0:26.1 | Not now and not in the foreseeable future. |
| 0:29.7 | Welding. |
| 0:30.8 | What does that tell you about the next and the next and the next phase of hiring? |
| 0:35.4 | Here's Chris to explain. |
| 0:36.8 | Much more of this tonight. |
| 0:38.3 | Journalists, attorneys, the professional services class where AI is starting to |
| 0:43.3 | stamp out big portions of the value chain through artificial intelligence. |
| 0:49.3 | Those are going to be very, very complex points, but at last check, AI still can't weld. |
| 0:54.3 | AI still can't change the transmission in an F-150. |
| 0:58.4 | So those areas that have physical opportunity, |
| 1:01.2 | you're seeing as an example, electricians building these data centers, |
| 1:04.9 | making two and two and a half times what they did just three years before |
| 1:08.7 | and huge shortages in those traits. |
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