AI Has Come For Its Creators

Programmers have begun coding themselves out of a job.

The Big Picture: In a recent company-wide address, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy explained that the efficiency gains forecast by generative AI are so significant that Amazon will make major reductions to its workforce in the coming years. The jobs AI created are already gone, but it’s about to take many more away.

Between the Lines: Jassy euphemistically explained that Amazon’s workers are victims of their own success.

• Amazon has already implemented over 1,000 generative AI programs throughout every arm of the company — and plans to streamline its process for building more.
• Since the resulting “efficiency gains” are projected to apply to every sector within Amazon, so will the predicted job cuts (though middle managers are usually the first to go).
• Instead of assurance, Jassy gave his employees a list of demands for new skills he expected them to learn, during and outside of work hours, to possibly improve their chances of keeping their job.

Conclusion: Forget Amazon and even Big Tech: these cuts are happening everywhere. Generative AI has only strengthened corporate America’s belief in ruthless efficiency, even while more than half of employers regret replacing their employees with AI. Unless powerful entities realign their priorities away from profit, these cuts will likely continue.

Prediction: Even Big Tech may sour on AI if cuts persist, especially if AI continues to output a lower quality of work than the human laborers it replaces.