A pattern repeats in the tech sector: companies announce restructurings and layoffs attributing them to AI efficiency. However, analyses indicate that this is, to a large extent, AI washing. The main cause is adjustments after over-hiring during the pandemic and pressure to cut costs, not immediate and real automation.
Real Automation vs. Corporate Narrative ?Ž
Technically, automation through AI first affects repetitive and rule-based tasks, such as data processing or basic customer service. Its large-scale implementation is a gradual process that requires integration and supervision. The AI layoff narrative usually precedes this real impact by years, using a complex technical concept as a smokescreen for financial decisions made in boardrooms.
Our New CEO is a 5-Line Code Algorithm ?’¼
The next time you read a statement about AI-driven optimization, you could translate it as: We over-hired, the stock market is pressuring us, and we found a scapegoat with good press. It's curious how artificial intelligence, which still struggles with a Word footnote, suddenly has the strategic insight to reorganize global companies. A modern miracle.