The online retail leader Amazon revealed this Tuesday, October 28, a radical decision: to lay off more than 14,000 roles from its workforce in the coming weeks. While the geographic breakdown of these cuts remains unclear, the move is part of a wave of restructuring driven largely by the rapid advances in artificial intelligence.
At Amazon, this wave of job cuts is causing palpable anxiety. Employees, used to a giant in constant expansion, see AI as a double-edged sword: a growth tool for the company, but also a threat to their stability.
After Elon Musk’s statement claiming that robots will replace all jobs, more and more companies are daring to openly acknowledge cutting roles in favor of artificial intelligence. Even at Yiaho, we are fully committed to this AI revolution, but we can’t help wondering about a future that seems particularly uncertain for the job market…
Amazon cuts jobs because of AI
Information reported by The Wall Street Journal even suggests a potentially higher figure, reaching up to 30,000 cuts, particularly targeting human resources and marketing departments.
At the heart of this announcement is AI, presented as an essential driver of innovation.
Beth Galetti, Amazon’s vice president in charge of human resources and technology, highlighted this dynamic in her recent remarks. According to her, the evolution of the professional landscape is inevitable: “What you have to keep in mind is that the world is changing quickly. This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet, and it enables companies to innovate much faster than before.”
Also read on this topic: Will AI replace artists?
AI: Job destruction?
This situation at Amazon is not isolated; it illustrates a broader phenomenon that raises questions about the future of work. The rise of these technologies prompts questions: are we witnessing the prelude to a major reshaping of jobs?
In Europe, labor law rules impose stricter safeguards than in the United States. Companies often have to justify solid economic reasons and consult employee representatives before any large-scale restructuring.
AI, as a productivity factor, could be cited as a valid argument, but it must be accompanied by redeployment or training plans for affected employees. European directives, such as those on data protection or AI ethics with the AI Act, aim to regulate these developments, but they still struggle to anticipate massive disruptions to employment.
History will tell whether this transformation happens painfully or in a newly reimagined harmony…
Source: Le Figaro
