Opinion

I feared AI would leave my community behind. Now I see a path to prosperity

Rooftop Revelations: I once feared the AI revolution would leave my youth on Chicago's South Side behind. Now, I've changed my mind

By Corey Brooks Fox News

Published August 25, 2026 10:00am EDT

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Big companies continue hiring despite AI fears

FOX Business host Cheryl Casone reports that big companies, from tech to defense, are actively hiring again, needing more people to work alongside AI. She highlights that AI is a powerful tool for productivity, not a replacement for human jobs, citing a Wall Street Journal report. Casone notes the latest jobless claims report is the lowest since 1969, reflecting a strong labor market.

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There has been worry of late that AI may eliminate jobs. I have seen the power of AI, and I can understand why some sectors are worried.  I have even worried that this ongoing AI revolution may leave behind the troubled youth in my South Side of Chicago neighborhood. For the past several years, I have been building this massive Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center to teach young people the trades as a way out of poverty and violence. And I’m sitting here, wondering if I made a mistake. Have I created something that is outdated? I admit I felt this panic deep within my soul. Was I handing my youth a caveman tool when they needed the latest technology?

I wondered how we would adapt to this ever-changing world that changes so fast that sometimes I can’t even remember who was in the news last week. So I took a walk through the walls of the new building. It’s beautiful. It brings me such joy to see the rooms and the promises of opportunity that come with them. We have rooms for the trades in every aspect of construction, from wood cutting to plumbing. We have rooms for creating new electricians. We’ve also got rooms for creating HVAC workers and fiber technicians, and more. We’ve got amazing equipment for our youth to train on. But was all of this for nothing? Did time pass us by?

I did not create this building to........

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