Why replacing staff with AI backfires - and 5 ways smart leaders generate real value instead | ZDNET

摘要: Innovation

Innovation

Artificial Intelligence

Why replacing staff with AI backfires - and 5 ways smart leaders generate real value instead

正文

Innovation

Innovation

Artificial Intelligence

Why replacing staff with AI backfires - and 5 ways smart leaders generate real value instead

Three-quarters of organizations have found AI layoffs cost more than they saved, and as many as nine in 10 companies would rethink them given the chance.

Written by

Mark Samuels,

Senior Contributor

Senior Contributor

Aug. 20, 2026 at 10:34 a.m. PT

J Studios/ DigitalVision via Getty Images

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ZDNET's key takeaways

Some firms cut jobs due to AI and regret their decisions.

Smart business leaders focus on value creation instead.

They help professionals find new avenues to growth.

Defaulting to

AI-enabled layoffs

is often seen as a shortcut to cost-cutting. Specialist site

jobloss.ai

, which tracks AI-enabled layoffs, reported that 126,000 US employees lost their jobs between January 2025 and June 2026 due to AI-related factors.

Ankur Anand, group CIO at recruiter Harvey Nash, told ZDNET it's easy to see why many executives regard AI deployment as a pathway to cost-cutting.

'Specialists aren't required' anymore: How to stay valuable in an AI agent workplace today

"Early messages from vendors, consultants, and even some boards have focused on productivity, automation, and doing more with less," he said. "Headlines about AI‑related layoffs reinforce the idea that the fastest route to value is through fewer people."

This default position paints a grim picture for

professionals anxious about AI-enabled job cuts

.

Businesses regret job-cut decisions

However, replacing workers with AI is no guarantee of success. In fact, a growing body of evidence suggests many businesses are beginning to recognize the limitations of AI and even regret some of their job-cut decisions.

Research from Careerminds

found that slashing jobs is unlikely to create the value senior executives crave. Three-quarters of organizations found AI layoffs cost more than they save

来源: Brave/zdnet.com