EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — California created nearly 15,000 new jobs in September, exceeding last year’s growth. The state saw gains across seven economic sectors, but the unemployment rate remained at 5.3%.
California is home to 35 of the world’s leading companies focused on artificial intelligence, one business sector that is surging. Various fields are increasingly adopting AI technology to increase productivity, automate tasks, and drive innovation.
On this week’s “In Focus SoCal,” host Tanya McRae visits a software company called AE Studio. She talks to two executives who say that becoming familiar with AI now will be highly beneficial for all workers in the future.
“AI is the future, and it is very rapidly going to accelerate and likely replace all human jobs. But until it does, the humans who embrace it and augment themselves with AI will have major advantages over those who do not,” said Judd Rosenblatt, CEO of AE Studio.
He and his team develop AI solutions for small businesses, startups, and Fortune 500 companies.
According to LinkedIn’s 2024 Jobs on the Rise report, AI-related jobs and titles that didn’t exist until a few years ago are now in high demand. The role of AI Consultant appears near the top of the ranking, at No. 8.
“It used to be that, you know, to be an effective data scientist or something, you had to have a lot of experience in industry, or a PhD, or some very advanced degree, and very specialized knowledge. There’s already a lot that you can do with just basic development knowledge now or the ability to learn things quickly. Things are a lot more accessible,” said Melanie Plaza, CTO at AE Studio.
Don Lee, reporter at the LA Times, joined the conversation and talked about current trends in the job market.
“If things go according to trend, then we should see some slowing, further slowing,” said Lee. “There are some unknown factors and one of the biggest, of course, is the election.”
McRae also sits down with Lieutenant Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who reflects on her priority legislation this past legislative session. She supported reforming Title IX at California’s higher education institutions.
“The bills that the governor signed really have to do with more transparency of what is happening on our campuses, better reporting, and then, of course, just higher standards for what kind of behavior is, really, should be demanded within our system of higher-ed,” said Kounalakis.
“People are there to study, they’re there to learn, they’re there to teach and work in an environment where they’re not having to be worried about harassment or discrimination,” she said.
Kounalakis also supported SB 1053, which bans all plastic shopping bags starting in 2026. A previous plastic bag ban passed a decade ago, but experts said it didn’t reduce the overall use of plastic.
“The reality is that the companies that produce these bags figured out a loophole, which is if you make them thicker, they can qualify as reusable, and therefore, you can have them in grocery stores,” said Kounalakis.
Send us your thoughts to InFocusSoCal@charter.com and watch at 11 a.m. on Saturdays and 9 a.m. on Sundays.