Challenge and opportunity

Web developer David Bushell returns from a ten-day offline break to express anger and frustration over the negative impact of AI on the tech industry, citing demotivated talent, educators questioning their worth, and a growing exodus from tech. He announces plans to continue his fight for the web against AI-driven deskilling and tokenized economies, while prioritizing client work and personal well-being.

Challenge and opportunity I am back Ten days “offline”. For me that just means online without talking to anyone. My break came at a time of high industry and personal stress. Seeing talented people lose motivation bums me the hell out. Reach out and say thanks - Kevin Powell Thank you to those who reached out whilst I was offline : Catching up on RSS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS educators question their worth https://webweekly.email/archive/web-weekly-193/ makes me angry. Seeing more people cite “AI” https://dbushell.com/ai/ exit tech https://dbushell.com/notes/2026-04-25T06:26Z/ boils my blood AI was the last straw. Have you heard of that island off India where the indigenous population kills any outsiders fool-hardy enough to land? They are doing the rest of us a favor by preserving a way of life we may need again someday, or at the very least should not want to see completely extinguished. I Am Retiring from Tech to Live Offline - Chad Whitacre The chatbox psychosis https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/27/tech-ceos-are-apparently-suffering-from-ai-psychosis/ epidemic remains in full force. Despite countless studies suggesting AI isn’t paying off https://fortune.com/2026/05/11/ai-automation-layoffs-gartner-study-roi/ . Despite countless examples showing that AI is broken by design https://lenz.io/research/llm-disagreement . Despite growing sentiment that AI isn’t welcome https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8pqd54qneo . Despite everything, the stochastic parrot feeders insist that our future is token servitude. I crashed out hard at Google’s deskilling https://dbushell.com/2026/05/20/google-just-spat-in-my-face/ . That incensed me. To see the word “skill” redefined and sold as a directory of markdown files is a grave insult. An opportunity I’m still motivated https://dbushell.com/2026/02/09/big-design-and-bold-ideas/ why-change . In the face of career-ending threats I see opportunity. I’ll be setting up shop as a limited company soon -ish after 15+ years of self-employment. Expect more news on that front later in the year. First I need to get a grip on unhealthy levels of stress. That means prioritising paid client work over my blog and social media antics I work Mon–Thursday for exactly that reason. Friday is my personal day. Lately though I’ve found myself in keyboard warrior mode at 11am midweek. That must stop if I am to survive The challenge is to continue enjoying my profession. I want to find a way to encourage and remotivate others too. At the same time, I can’t ignore the continued assault. The web must be fought for. That ain’t easy when it’s all so demoralising. I won’t be silenced in my fight against alternative thoughts https://dbushell.com/2026/04/28/alternative-thoughts/ . The gatekeepers cannot be allowed to turn one of humanity’s greatest creations into a tokendollar economy. I can’t believe this needs repeating but: do not replace real skills with a directory of markdown files. Stay hungry to learn. Fight for the web.