{"id":211305,"date":"2026-02-08T11:03:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/08\/us-companies-accused-of-ai-washing-in-citing-artificial-intelligence-for-job-losses-us-news\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T12:10:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T17:10:09","slug":"us-companies-accused-of-ai-washing-in-citing-artificial-intelligence-for-job-losses-us-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/08\/us-companies-accused-of-ai-washing-in-citing-artificial-intelligence-for-job-losses-us-news\/","title":{"rendered":"US companies accused of \u2018AI washing\u2019 in citing artificial intelligence for job losses | US news"},"content":{"rendered":"

US companies accused of \u2018AI washing\u2019 in citing artificial intelligence for job losses | US news<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/08\/ai-washing-job-losses-artificial-intelligence<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-02-08 11:03:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: www.theguardian.com<\/a><\/p>\n

O<\/span>ver the last year, US corporate leaders have often explained layoffs by saying the positions were no longer needed because artificial intelligence had made their companies more efficient, replacing humans with computers.<\/p>\n

But some economists and technology analysts have expressed skepticism about such justifications and instead think that such workforce cuts are driven by factors like the impact of tariffs, overhiring during the Covid-19 pandemic and perhaps simple maximising of profits.<\/p>\n

In short, the CEOs are allegedly engaged in \u201cAI-washing\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can say, \u2018We are integrating the newest technology into our business processes, so we are very much a technological frontrunner, and we have to let go of these people,\u2019\u201d said Fabian Stephany, a departmental research lecturer at the Oxford Internet Institute.<\/p>\n

In 2025, AI was cited as a reason for more than 54,000 layoffs, according to a December report from the consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.<\/p>\n

In January, Amazon alone laid off 16,000 workers after making 14,000 reductions in October.<\/p>\n

Beth Galetti, senior vice-president of people experience and technology at Amazon, explained in an October memo that they were trimming staff because \u201cAI is the most transformative technology we\u2019ve seen since the internet, and it\u2019s enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re convinced that we need to be organized more leanly,\u201d Galetti added.<\/p>\n

The Hewlett-Packard CEO, Enrique Lores, also said in a November earnings call that the company would use AI to \u201cimprove customer satisfaction and boost productivity\u201d, which means the company could cut 6,000 people in the \u201cnext years\u201d.<\/p>\n

In April, Luis von Ahn, CEO of the language-learning app company Duolingo, announced that the venture would \u201cgradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle\u201d.<\/p>\n

But the reason for such layoffs is often actually financial, according to a January report from the market research firm Forrester. The…<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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