Young people concerned about artificial intelligence reshaping entry-level office and creative work are increasingly pursuing traditional crafts such as bookbinding and metalwork. The shift matters both as a search for more secure, tangible careers and as potential support for ageing craft industries that have struggled to replace skilled workers.

Eryn Lawley, a 27-year-old politics graduate, became a bookbinding apprentice in Shropshire, citing the satisfaction and physicality of hand-made work. Ludlow Bookbinders’ chief executive estimates that fewer than 50 handcraft-operating bookbinders remain in Britain, while Cox London received more than 160 applications for two apprenticeship places this year. Employers and premium publishers say demand remains for human-made objects, with the Folio Society saying it does not use generative AI for its artwork.