Anyone firing employees because they thought that AI would do their jobs in 2025 should be fired. It really doesn’t take much research to see AI isn’t at the place where it’s replacing people – yet. And business managers – particularly in small and mid-sized companies – who think it is better think again.
At best, generative AI platforms are providing a more enhanced version of search, so that instead of sifting through dozens of websites, lists and articles to figure out how to choose a great hotel in Costa Rica, fix a broken microwave oven or translate a phrase from Mandarin to English, we simply ask our chatbot a question and it provides the best answer it finds. These platforms are getting better and more accurate and are indeed useful tools for many of us.
But these chatbots are nowhere near replacing our employees.
It’s somewhat akin to claiming that now that we have hammers, carpenters aren’t needed.
With respect to the article, it’s wrong. AI help desk is already a thing. Yes, it’s terrible, but human help desk was already terrible. Businesses are ABSOLUTELY cutting out tier 1 call center positions.
LLMs are exceptionally good at language translation, which should be no surprise as that kind of statistical chaining is right up their alley. Translators are losing jobs. AI Contract analysis & legal blacklining are going to put a lot of junior employees and paralegals out of business.
I am very much an AI skeptic, but I also recognize that people who do the things LLMs are already pretty good at are in real trouble. As AI tools get better at more stuff, that target list of jobs will grow.
Cutting junior employees today sounds like a great option, until 10 years down the road you realize you don’t have any experienced people to backfill the senior employees who are leaving.