A proposal to reduce the standard workday from eight hours to seven has become the top trending topic on social media. During the ongoing National People's Congress sessions, Zhong Baoshen, an NPC deputy and chairman of LONGi Green Energy Technology, suggested cutting the standard daily working hours to seven. He also proposed significantly raising overtime pay standards, enforcing strict payment regulations, and establishing a five-year retroactive mechanism for overtime compensation. These measures aim to legally regulate corporate overtime practices and better protect workers' rights to rest and fair pay.
NPC deputy Lei Jun, founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Group, commented that in the era of artificial intelligence, many existing rules may be rewritten, while new types of jobs will emerge. He speculated that in the future, people might not need to work eight hours a day or five days a week. Instead, a workweek could consist of just three days, with only two hours of work per day, leading to a substantial improvement in both quality of life and work.
Many internet users responded by expressing a desire to see the current eight-hour workday and two-day weekend fully implemented first. Others voiced concerns about whether shorter working hours would lead to jobs being replaced by AI. Some questioned: if a company that once employed 14,000 workers now needs only 2,000, will your job be taken over by AI?
NPC deputy Dong Mingzhu, who stated she does not advocate for overtime, noted that with the advancement of intelligent technology, many simple and labor-intensive tasks have already been automated. This has raised public anxiety about AI replacing human jobs. Addressing these concerns, Dong remarked, "Even at my age, I am not afraid of being replaced by AI. Why should young people worry? The key is to keep learning and strive to be smarter than AI." She revealed that she is already proficient in using AI for daily work tasks. Dong emphasized that companies should avoid layoffs. As long as employees are willing to stay, they should be retained and trained for suitable positions.
As AI integrates more rapidly into production and daily life, worries about AI-induced unemployment are becoming more prominent. According to the World Economic Forum's "Future of Jobs Report 2025," it is projected that by 2030, 92 million jobs globally may be displaced, while around 170 million new roles could be created.
Should humans compete directly with AI? Chen Tianshi, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of Cambricon, suggested that the relationship is not about competition but coexistence. He indicated that technology is evolving too quickly, with new developments emerging daily, so everyone must learn urgently. In the future, humans and AI will be symbiotic; both need to improve together, creating a multiplicative effect.
In related news, Ge Minghua, an NPC deputy and president of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, stated that medical AI will see increasingly widespread application in healthcare. He believes AI is unlikely to completely replace doctors, but doctors who do not understand AI will inevitably be replaced by those who do.