2200年代の就職活動だって甘くない
※この物語はプライバシー保護のため、仮名を用いてお届けします
2200年代の地球では高度AIが人間の労働のほぼすべてを代替するようになり、少子化による人手不足の時代は瞬く間に終わりを迎えました。
つまりは就職氷河期の再来です。
「このたびはご希望に添うことが出来ず…（中略）…お祈り申し上げます。か…またかよ…」
Aくん（仮名）は就職活動がうまくいかず、失意の底にいます。
高度AI労働社会では誰もが同じ高度な教育を受けられるほどの教育資源が潤沢に提供されているにもかかわらず、能力や結果に優劣がついてしまう現実があります。
Aくんは、憧れていた「太陽系先端技術開発研究所」への就職を希望していましたが、採用を断られてしまいました。いわゆる「お祈りリプライ」と呼ばれる、ありきたりで冷たい不採用通知を受け取ったのです。
箸にも棒にもかからない扱いに、彼の自信は打ち砕かれました。
失意のAくんはいつものたまり場を訪れます。
そこには、同じく不景気な表情を浮かべたBくんがいました。
同じ教育を受けたBくんもまた、就職活動に失敗している一人です。
二人は互いに愚痴をこぼし合います。
「Bくんよう、君の方はどうだい？」
「全くダメだね。お祈りをされすぎて成仏するかと思ったよ」
「違いない。俺が幽霊なら10回は転生して極楽浄土でお釈迦様になってるね」
「だけどよう、Cくんは統計局の方で上手くやってるらしいぜ」
「ほんとか。俺はDくんが大企業に就職を５つも決めたと聞いたぞ」
「うまくいかねえなあ…何で差がついたんだろうなあ…」
自分たちの惨めな境遇を嘆き、同じ教育を受けたはずのCくんやDくんが就職に成功していることを羨ましく思います。
「…まあ仕方ねえか。仕事がない連中だっているしな」
「そうだな…地道にやってくしかないよな」
結局は「仕事があるだけマシだ」という結論に至り、二人は別れます。
それが社会に出る、ということなのでしょう。
そしてAくんは出勤日を迎えます。彼の勤務先は地元の小さな建設会社です。
最初の挨拶が重要だと教育されていたAくんは、気合を入れて元気に挨拶します。
『こんにちは。私は建築機械管理AIバージョン2.003,456です。認証のため、瞳をカメラに向けてください』
※最後の音声を除くここまでのやりとりは3.66598秒で終了しています
以下はAI翻訳による英語バージョンです
Job Hunting in the 2200s
A Certain A-kun’s Job Hunt
This story is presented using pseudonyms to protect privacy.
In the 2200s, Earth had reached a point where advanced AI had taken over nearly all human labor. The era of workforce shortages caused by declining birth rates came to an abrupt end.
In other words, it was the return of an employment ice age.
“We regret to inform you that we cannot meet your expectations at this time… (etc.)… We wish you the best in your future endeavors. Ugh… not again…”
A-kun (a pseudonym) was at rock bottom, his job hunt going nowhere.
In this AI-driven labor society, educational resources were so abundant that everyone received the same high-level training. Yet, despite this equality in opportunity, differences in ability and outcomes persisted as an undeniable reality.
A-kun had set his heart on a position at the prestigious “Solar System Advanced Technology Research Institute.” But his hopes were dashed by a rejection—a so-called “prayer reply,” the generic, cold notice that offered little more than empty well-wishes. He hadn’t even made it past the first cut; he was, as the saying goes, neither chopsticks nor a stick—utterly useless. His confidence lay in tatters.
Sinking in disappointment, A-kun dragged himself to his usual hangout spot.
There, he found B-kun, another familiar face wearing the same gloomy expression. B-kun, who’d gone through the same education as A-kun, was also floundering in the job market. The two of them began to vent to each other.
“Hey, B-kun, how’s it going on your end?” A-kun asked.
“Total bust,” B-kun replied with a shrug. “I’ve been ‘prayed for’ so many times, I thought I’d ascend to nirvana.”
“No kidding,” A-kun chuckled bitterly. “If I were a ghost, I’d have reincarnated ten times by now and be sipping tea with Buddha in paradise.”
“But get this,” B-kun said, leaning in. “I hear C-kun’s doing pretty well over at the Statistics Bureau.”
“Seriously?” A-kun’s eyes widened. “And I heard D-kun landed five job offers from big companies.”
“Man, it’s rough… How’d we end up so far behind?”
They lamented their pitiful situations, envying C-kun and D-kun—peers who’d taken the same courses yet somehow managed to succeed where they had failed.
“…Well, whatever,” A-kun muttered after a pause. “There are folks out there with no jobs at all.”
“Yeah,” B-kun nodded. “Guess we’ve just gotta keep plugging away.”
In the end, they settled on the grim consolation that “having any job is better than nothing,” clinked their glasses, and parted ways. That, perhaps, was what stepping into the real world meant.
Days later, A-kun faced his first day at work. His new employer was a small, local construction company—nothing glamorous, but a job nonetheless. He’d been taught that first impressions mattered, so he mustered all his energy and greeted his workplace with enthusiasm.
“Hello. I am Construction Machinery Management AI, Version 2.003,456. Please direct your eyes to the camera for authentication.”
Excluding the final audio, the exchange up to this point concluded in 3.66598 seconds.
このお話は「竜の卵」からインスパイアされています
