Today, new reporting revealed that Amazon is prepared to lay off as many as 30,000 corporate employees in one of the largest rounds of layoffs in the company’s history as AI takes the place of humans in the workplace. These layoffs come as Paramount and Target prepare to also slash thousands of corporate jobs this week.
Make no mistake: the AI white-collar bloodbath isn’t coming – it’s already here. Not only are people losing their jobs, but they are unable to re-enter the workforce. The employment crisis will only get worse as CEOs continue to admit that AI will wipe out jobs at their companies as AI takes job opportunities from Americans – possibly up to 100 million of them.
“Amazon’s AI-driven layoffs are just the beginning of how AI will impact the American workforce. AI will continue to take over workplaces across the country, and our leaders must seriously consider what they can do when Americans experience mass displacement of jobs,” said Brendan Steinhauser, CEO of the Alliance for Secure AI. “Our country is supposed to be one where citizens can build their lives and achieve the American dream. AI could take that dream away from many families, new graduates, and entrepreneurs. We must find a path forward that rewards innovation without stripping people of their dignity and purpose.”
Bipartisan concerns about AI’s consequences on the labor force are growing on Capitol Hill. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) recently asked about “what happens to workers who have no jobs and no income,” and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) has encouraged leaders to “start thinking about how AI is going to affect working folks.”
We must act now to protect the American people from the immediate harms of advanced AI.
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