Futurology

This is the same argument we had about Automated Teller Machines.

We're looking like, half a century later, the invention of the ATM may soon reduce the total quantity of people employed as bank tellers.

It's really difficult to tell what the long term impact of a new technology will be.

But we can conclusively say, today, that laying people off while citing AI is just assholes being assholes. Today's AI is absolutely not covering the real costs (even at any reasonable fraction) of those layoffs to the future of the company.

For argument, let's put aside the ethics of layoffs,l - even just the shareholders have been better off with more people employed as bank tellers, for a full half century, after the invention of the ATM.

There was a dip in teller employment (fuck around) and a dip in bank profits (find out) after the introduction of the ATM, as well.

The predicted savings may materialize soon, a half century later. But even that is probably 100% due to the separate invention and adoption, and maturity, of online banking.

Anyway. This stuff is weird. But it's fair to call out blaming AI for the current layoffs, as bullshit.

Historically, even the shareholders they're claiming to serve would be served much better by a more conservative approach to retaining trained talent.