Family may leave island over AI job concerns

A couple says their family might leave Guernsey after claiming artificial intelligence (AI) contributed to them losing their jobs and left them struggling to find work.

Ania and Patryk Pawleta said they worked at the same tech company since 2018, and were both let go at the start of 2026. Patryk was a software developer and Ania was a product and image administrator.

Ania said she was made redundant "as part of wider redundancies" and was told by a manager that her duties would instead be done by AI.

Patryk said the company blamed his redundancy on "market changes" and he had to use AI "a lot towards the end" of his time at the firm. "AI is a reason why I am struggling to find another job," he said.

Ania said: "One of the reasons why I was let go with my company was AI."

"No-one is hiring because they only want AI to do the job. This is why we are looking for a job outside [the island]," Patryk added.

Patryk and Ania's former employer have been contacted for comment, but has not responded.

Since the start of the year, the Polish nationals, who have two children, have been relying on savings and sporadic income from Patryk's tech repair workshop to live on.

He said: "That workshop was 80% charity, 20% I was making some small amount of money. But, if I were to subtract the costs, I wasn't making anything."

He said social security had held back financial support due to the money he made from this workshop - although a case review is ongoing.

"I just did it from my heart and I suffer for it now," he said.

Director of operations for social security, States housing and inclusion Ed Ashton said: "To be eligible to receive unemployment benefit, a person must be available for work and actively seeking work."

He added: "Anything that might impact these requirements has to be investigated before a claim can be accepted."

On AI in the job market, Deputy Tom Rylatt, digital steering group representative for the Committee for Employment & Social Security, said: "AI and other emerging technologies are already beginning to reshape the labour market.

"Our job is to understand what these changes mean for Guernsey so that support services, retraining and skills interventions remain responsive to changing employment opportunities," he added.

Emily Gill, co-founder of skills company LEVRA and TEDx speaker, who has led talks in Guernsey on how the island should embrace AI, said: "There's a lot of fear around because people think 'could this tool you know wipe out whole swathes of jobs?'

"I think we're moving away from that slightly, and there's a realisation that a lot more value can be created using AI and there are going to be new types of jobs and new tasks that come from it."

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