In a recent study, nearly all CEOs surveyed said they expect corporate AI initiatives to lead to layoffs within the next two years.
According to the consulting firm Mercer’s Global Talent Trends report, 99% of CEOs are ready to be fired by AI in no time. The report states that most executives believe that redesigning work to include automation will provide the greatest return on investment, but only 32% believe that the workforce can optimally integrate both human and machine capabilities.
The corporate world is eagerly embracing artificial intelligence as the next big profit-enhancing tool. Over the past year, many companies and more and more companies Silicon Valleythey argued that their AI initiatives were working so well that they could justify massive layoff decisions. But while executives and investors are relatively open about their expectations an AI-driven white-collar unemployment crisis In the near future, experts debate whether these commitments will result in meaningful productivity gains, while others dismiss AI’s potential to simply disrupt the workforce. strategic tactics It is used by the AI industry to sell their products.
Young workers bear the heaviest burden. according to recent survey by another consulting firmMost of the AI-driven downsizing that CEOs are preparing for is expected to focus on early-career positions. That’s because, as it stands, AI is best at automating the simpler tasks an early-career employee is expected to perform at a company as they receive the on-the-job training needed to advance to higher-level positions. But dazzled by the promise of an AI chatbot that can complete tasks in seconds and run 24/7 without a bathroom break, many managers say they’re going to hell with their early-career employees. educating the future of the workforce.
This effect is not hypothetical and exists already landedaccording to a number of studies published within the last year. It was the result the ugliest job market for 22-27-year-olds and a largely youth army since the worst days of the pandemic disappointed both about artificial intelligence and their future. Recently to learn Generation Z’s use of artificial intelligence is high, and members of the cohort increasingly report feelings of anxiety and anger about technology.
This suspicion of artificial intelligence has spread to other age groups. Moment NBC News survey Since March, it has become clear that AI is so unpopular with voters that it is even viewed more favorably than the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), which has been at the center of a crackdown that has sparked massive nationwide protests.
Leaving aside the question of whether this layoff trend can really be justified by AI’s productivity gains, workers are affected by how managers support technology at the expense of labor. According to Mercer’s survey, only 44% of workers say they are successful at work in 2026, down from 66% in 2024, due to concerns about an AI-driven workplace. This existential distress and deep anxiety is common enough among workers that researchers suggest using the term “AI replacement dysfunction,” or AIRD, to describe it.
