There is a growing tendency among companies to talk about artificial intelligence as a wonderful opportunity to cut costs, improve productivity and reduce headcounts.
The big banks seem particularly enthusiastic about the prospect of replacing employees with AI. The fewer people on the payroll, the better the numbers apparently look.
But there is another way of looking at the AI revolution.
Take IKEA, the international furniture retailer. When AI began handling routine customer enquiries, the company faced a choice. It could simply get rid of people whose jobs were being automated. Instead, it retrained thousands of call-centre employees to become interior design advisers and take on more specialised customer-facing roles.
Other companies, including Amazon, Salesforce and Zoho, have also invested in employee training and redeployment as AI changes the nature of work. The approaches differ, but the underlying idea is that employees can develop new skills and move into jobs where human judgement, experience and customer relationships still matter.
Of course, retraining isn’t always easy. Not every employee will be suited to a different role, and not every company will have opportunities available.
But surely companies that have invested years in developing their employees should be looking at ways to retain that experience rather than simply showing people the door.
AI can make companies more productive and profitable. Nobody seriously disputes that.
The question is whether those gains should come entirely at the expense of the people who helped build the business.
A good company doesn’t just ask how many jobs AI can eliminate. It asks how many people it can help move forward.
# Editorial Disclosure & Disclaimer
Financial News Daily is an independent business news syndicate and a wholly owned subsidiary of Idea Accelerator. We publish financial, environmental and corporate commentary for digital platforms, media outlets and organisations. Nothing published here constitutes investment, legal or financial advice. All opinions are editorial commentary on matters of public and economic interest.
