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In recent months, many companies have announced mass layoffs with an argument repeated like a mantra: artificial intelligence. According to these announcements, automation and the adoption of AI have increased productivity and made certain jobs unnecessary. The message sounds modern, inevitable, and even reasonable. But if we scratch the surface, the story isn't so new.
The reality is that AI has become an extremely convenient excuse. It serves both to justify layoffs and to hire new, cheaper, younger, or differently skilled employees. The discourse barely changes from one company to another: "We are streamlining our organizational structure to be more efficient and deliver more value to investors." In other words: increase profits.
It's worth remembering that AI has involved multi-billion dollar investments. Large consulting firms and investment banks, such as Goldman Sachs, have published reports indicating that the real impact of these technologies on productivity has been, at least for now, quite limited in many organizations. This raised doubts a couple of years ago, when the promise of AI had not yet translated into clear results. Interestingly, those doubts disappear when layoffs begin.
Because there is something that does work immediately: when a company announces staff reductions in the name of efficiency, its stock price tends to rise. And with it, the bonuses of many executives. It doesn't matter if the productivity improvement is real, future, or merely theoretical. The market rewards the message.
It's important to remember that companies are in a constant state of reorganization. Long before AI, companies have been adjusting their structures to remain competitive. These processes generate changes, and sometimes those changes involve layoffs. The problem isn't the reorganization itself, but the need to justify it. And that's where some catch-all concepts like automation, digitalization… and now, artificial intelligence come in.
AI has a key advantage as an argument: it can be applied to almost any area of the company. Finance, marketing, customer service, human resources, product development. It's so cross-cutting that it's practically impossible to prove it has nothing to do with a specific dismissal. It's the perfect alibi.
In this scenario, the best defense for the worker remains preparation. Being efficient, adaptable, and keeping skills up-to-date increases the chances of being reassigned within the company or finding a new job more quickly. It's not a guarantee, but it is a real advantage.
The underlying problem isn't AI, but a short-sighted management vision, focused solely on immediate financial results. There are managers who don't care about demotivation, the loss of talent, or the human impact of their decisions. And when that happens, any excuse will do.
It's a shame, but that's how the system works. Artificial intelligence isn't the cause: it's just the most sophisticated excuse of the moment.
That’s real life.
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