Think Out Loud

How AI is changing entry-level jobs in Oregon

By Gemma DiCarlo (OPB)
Feb. 25, 2026 2 p.m.

Broadcast: Wednesday, Feb. 25

Artificial intelligence is beginning to change the entry-level job market for recent graduates. AI often automates the repetitive tasks that might otherwise allow new employees to learn on the job, and some worry it could eventually replace those jobs altogether. A study from Stanford University found these changes were most likely to affect “AI-exposed occupations” such as software development and customer service.

Lucas Hellberg is an enterprise reporter for the Daily Emerald newspaper at the University of Oregon and an elections reporting intern for Lookout Eugene-Springfield. He recently wrote about how AI is changing entry-level jobs in Oregon and joins us with more details.

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