Executives fire people for AI that does not work yet: the executive fantasy

Published on May 31, 2026 | Translated from Spanish

A new wave of mass layoffs is being justified with promises of artificial intelligence that, according to internal audits, aren't even operational yet. Executives at several tech companies have sacrificed real jobs based on productivity projections that are pure fiction. This trend reveals that the priority is not efficiency, but rather appearing modern to investors, while employees pay the cost of a marketing strategy with no technical foundation.

corporate office meeting room, executives pointing at a large screen showing a glowing AI interface with error codes and loading bars stuck at zero percent, a holographic projection of a robot arm malfunctioning mid-air, while paper termination letters float down onto empty desks in the background, boss shaking hands with a security guard escorting a developer out, dark suits, cold blue and red lighting, tension visible on faces, realistic office clutter with monitors and cables, cinematic photorealistic industrial style

AI Audits: The Antidote to Executive Delusions 🤖

The solution lies in implementing independent AI capability audits before any restructuring. These evaluations must measure concrete metrics: real inference time, production accuracy, and operational cost compared to human labor. Without verifiable data, any layoff decision is a gamble with employees' futures. A recent study shows that 70% of corporate AI projects fail to meet their productivity goals in the first year. Companies should first demonstrate that AI can do the job, not the other way around.

The Perfect AI That Only Exists in PowerPoints 📊

The funny thing is that those same executives who fire people for an all-powerful AI then ask the IT department for help connecting the projector. While employees work overtime to train algorithms that will replace them, executives promise miraculous results at shareholder meetings. Next time a CEO announces layoffs due to artificial intelligence, ask them if they've managed to get their virtual assistant to schedule a meeting without failing. That's how you'll know if we're facing a revolution or just a simple corporate science fiction story.