07/20/2026
Great News, Humans: You’re Rehired
What’s going on: Remember last year, when all CEOs could talk about was replacing human employees with AI? Well, they’re circling back. More and more executives now admit that AI-driven layoffs were a mistake, and they’re rehiring — wait for it — people. There’s IBM, which replaced 200 HR employees before realizing the tech can’t actually handle ethical dilemmas. There's Ford, which added 350 “gray beard” engineers to retrain flawed AI systems. And finally, your "speak to a representative" prayers have been answered: At least one major bank and Klarna are rehiring human customer service reps that had been previously laid off in favor of AI systems. Meanwhile, nearly 80% of US nurses say the AI they use at work is so inaccurate, it requires human oversight. This is why we don’t Google our symptoms, folks.
Does this mean I have job security?: Sadly, no. Even though it seems like the C-suite has softened its position on using AI to wipe out the entire labor market, they’re still funneling the savings from layoffs back into... AI (ahem, Mark Zuckerberg). It has been most effective at replacing customer service and doing menial tasks, so entry-level workers are still vulnerable. But white-collar jobs — the kind that require years of experience — are safer than originally thought. That’s because “judgment, design, and accountability” are now treasured human qualities employers seek in the market. (How’s that for a résumé cheat code?). After AI’s initial craze, it seems we’re getting closer to an equilibrium — one where it’s seen as a job enhancement, not replacement. Let’s hope our bosses agree.
