The Guardian examines how Bournemouth, once an unlikely finance hub built on thousands of banking jobs since the 1980s 'big bang', now sits on the frontline of AI-driven cuts, with Barclays announcing 5,000 job cuts and Standard Chartered planning to slash 7,000 roles. Locals including Unite's Caren Evans, who calls AI the biggest threat to financial workers since 2008, and Dorset Chamber president Gareth Sherwood, who urges government contingency planning, warn entry-level and back-office jobs are at risk.