Earlier this year, I posted (not for the first time) an important question How soon might humans be replaced at work. Recent layoffs from Amazon, Salesforce and other tech companies might seem to provide an answer to this question, especially as these companies have explicitly blamed AI for making people redundant.
However, other explanations are available, and Danielle Kaye's article The AI job cuts are here - or are they? includes several sceptical voices, noting that business has always experienced cycles of hiring and firing. Management may be happy to take the credit for the former while avoiding taking responsibility for the latter, thus AI may provide a convenient excuse. Furthermore, explanations of this kind are designed for several different audiences, including investors, customers, and the surviving workforce. Employees who remain may get the message that their jobs are also at risk unless they come to terms with the corporate appetite for AI.
Meanwhile tech companies themselves have a vested interest in hyping the value (or potential value) of AI.
Danielle Kaye, The AI job cuts are here - or are they? (BBC News, 29 October 2025)
No comments:
Post a Comment