Beast Mode Backlash

There’s something almost comforting about the cyclical nature of technological panic. The latest round? MrBeast – the YouTube juggernaut known to anyone with a teenager in the house – has joined the chorus of creators warning that AI is about to nick their livelihoods.

If you’re under 25, you’ll know Jimmy Donaldson (his real name) as the king of viral stunts and philanthropic giveaways. For the rest of us, he’s the bloke your kids mention when you ask what they’re watching for the tenth time that day.

Now, MrBeast is hardly alone. Taylor Swift’s fans – a demographic not known for their mild opinions – recently accused her of using AI to juice up a Google scavenger hunt for her new album. The reaction wasn’t “how clever”, but rather a collective tut and a sense that something underhand was afoot. There’s a growing, almost instinctive, suspicion of AI among younger audiences, especially those who spend their lives on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. Their favourite creators are, understandably, worried about being replaced by algorithms that never need a coffee break.

Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, tried to pour oil on troubled waters, reminding everyone that disruption is nothing new. MrBeast and his ilk, after all, are doing for the BBC and MTV what Netflix did for Blockbuster – and what AI is now threatening to do to them. The wheel turns, the old guard grumble, and the new guard eventually become the old guard themselves.

But there’s a more serious undercurrent here, especially for those of us in property and tech. AI is already eating away at those first and second-line support roles, the ones that used to give graduates and school-leavers their start. If the bots handle all the easy stuff, how do you ever get the experience needed for the tricky bits? It’s a fair question, and one that applies far beyond call centres.

In estate agency, we’re not immune. AI will take on more of the repetitive, process-driven work – qualifying leads, answering FAQs, even booking viewings. That’s great for efficiency, but it does beg the question: where do the next generation of experts come from if they never get to cut their teeth on the basics? We’ll need to rethink training, perhaps blending AI-driven learning with real-world shadowing, to ensure we don’t end up with a skills gap the size of a Rightmove price hike.

So, yes, creators are making a racket about AI. But it’s not just self-interest (although there is a lot of self-interest) – there’s a genuine challenge here for all of us. As the technology marches on, we’ll need to find new ways to nurture talent and build trust, or risk being left with a generation of would-be experts who never got the chance to learn the ropes. The future, as ever, belongs to those who adapt – whether you’re flogging houses or filming yourself giving away Lamborghinis.