Recent layoffs across global corporations from Accenture and Lufthansa to Salesforce, Klarna and Duolingo are being attributed to the growing influence of artificial intelligence.
Companies claim AI-driven efficiency makes certain roles redundant, with Salesforce and Klarna citing automation as a key reason for staff reductions.
However, experts argue this wave of job cuts may be less about technology and more about economic pressures or post-pandemic overhiring.
According to some experts, many firms are blaming AI to justify difficult business decisions and appear technologically advanced.
This trend has sparked widespread anxiety among workers. Career experts warn that companies’ vague communication about AI’s role is feeding the fear of automation-driven job loss.
Critics argue that corporations are using AI as a convenient narrative amid slowing economies, rather than being transparent about restructuring motives.
Some, like Klarna’s CEO, admit AI is only part of a broader workforce realignment involving natural attrition and strategic refocusing.
Yet, evidence suggests large-scale AI-induced unemployment remains limited. Research from Yale’s Budget Lab and the New York Fed indicates minimal disruption to labor markets since AI’s rise, with most firms using AI to retrain, not replace, employees.
Historically, technology has created more opportunities than it destroyed, and experts believe AI will likely follow that same path, contrary to popular fear.
