In the past few months, headlines about AI-related layoffs have dominated tech news. Amazon cut 14,000 corporate jobs. Microsoft quietly reorganized teams as AI writes more of its own code. And across the industry, automation is becoming the justification—spoken or unspoken—for workforce reductions.

But if you look closer, there’s a cautionary tale here for both sides of the equation: companies that see AI purely as a cost-saving tool, and people who resist learning how to use it.

The False Economy of “AI Savings”

Many firms believe that replacing human workers with AI will instantly boost productivity and lower costs. But this logic ignores the nuance of human work. The first tasks AI replaces are often the low-hanging fruit—the repetitive, the administrative, the predictable. That frees capacity, but it doesn’t automatically create strategic insight, innovation, or stronger customer relationships.

At a recent executive procurement conference I attended, nearly every session revolved around AI’s promise to make sourcing, contracting, and supplier management more efficient. The subtext was clear: if procurement can automate its own jobs, it can certainly expect its suppliers to do the same.

For firms, this should be a warning: if you see AI as just a way to shrink payroll, you may also shrink your capability. The firms that will win are the ones that redeploy freed-up capacity into higher-order work—relationship management, problem-solving, and creativity.

The Risk of Standing Still

On the other side, workers who resist AI face their own risk. The people most vulnerable right now are those in easily replaceable roles and who are unwilling to learn. That includes some of the “unwilling-unable” group—the ones who never wanted to grow—and even a few “unwilling-able” types who have talent but choose to dismiss change.

AI doesn’t replace potential; it replaces predictability. Those who are willing and able to learn will find AI expands their impact. Those who refuse to grow will find it quietly taking over the work they once did.

In other words, AI won’t steal your job—but the person who knows how to use it might.

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What AI Can’t Replace (Yet): Relationships

Amid all the disruption, one truth remains: AI can replace work, but not relationships.

AI can summarize a meeting, but it can’t read the room. It can predict customer behavior, but it can’t build trust. It can automate communication, but it can’t create connection.

The best protection against obsolescence is to become indispensable in the areas that AI can’t yet reach—empathy, collaboration, storytelling, and influence. If you build relationships that matter, your value extends beyond the task list.

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The Path Forward

The companies that survive this transformation won’t just automate; they’ll amplify. They’ll use AI to eliminate busywork and refocus teams on complex, human-centric problems.

The professionals who thrive will do the same. They’ll see AI not as a threat but as a tool—a new instrument in their creative, analytical, or strategic toolkit.

So if you’re leading a business, don’t just cut jobs—elevate roles.
If you’re an employee or creator, don’t just protect your work—evolve it.

Because in this new era, the question isn’t whether AI will change your job.
It’s whether you’ll change with it.