Artificial Intelligence will lead many companies to reduce their headcount in the next five years. This is what emerges from a new study conducted by the Adecco group, which underlines the profound impact that AI will have on the world of work.
According to the report, based on a survey of executives from 2,000 large companies around the world, as many as 41% expect to have to reduce their staff due to the adoption of these technologies. Generative AI, capable of creating text, photos and videos in response to simple commands, fuels both the hope of eliminating repetitive tasks and the fear of making entire work sectors obsolete.
We are well aware that tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and others have recently carried out a series of layoffs, and then dedicated themselves more to the development of artificial intelligence systems, after the advent of OpenAI’s ChatGPT kicked off a revolution on the internet. At present, the use of these tools is now normal for many, experts and non-experts, and things could evolve further in the coming years.
Adecco’s study is one of the largest on the subject and follows that of the 2023 World Economic Forum, according to which 25% of companies expect job losses due to AI, while 50% expect technology to create new roles. While the majority of executives surveyed by Adecco acknowledge the revolutionary importance of artificial intelligence, the vast majority admit that they have not made sufficient progress in its adoption.
“Almost every job will be affected by AI in some way. It can be both a destroyer of jobs and a creator of new jobs. Ten years ago, it was feared that digital would destroy a lot of jobs, but in reality, the digital world has created new jobs. We believe that the balance between the jobs eliminated and those created by AI will be balanced.”
According to Machuel, companies should prepare for this ongoing upheaval by training their staff to work with AI, rather than relying solely on external specialists. What do you think? Is this an exaggeration or a process that has largely begun? Let us know in the comments.