🤖 AI Summary
**要約(日本語)**
- 2025年に発表された5万人以上の人員削減のうち、AIを理由にしたものが多数あると、調査会社Challenger, Gray & Christmasが報告している。
- しかし、企業が「AIが仕事を奪う」ことを口実にしているケースが増えており、実際にはAI導入の準備が整っていない「AI‑washing」(AI洗浄)と指摘する声が強い。
- Forresterのレポートやホートン校のPeter Cappelli教授は、企業が「将来的にAIが取って代わる」と言いながら、現時点で実装できるAIはほとんどないと批判している。
- ブルッキングス研究所の調査でも、AIはまだ労働市場全体に大きな変化をもたらしていないことが確認されている。実際の大量解雇は、2022年以降のパンデミック期の過剰採用の是正が主因で、テック企業だけで世界総計70万人以上が削減された。
- AIを理由にすることで、企業は「経営計画の失敗」や「財務目標未達」などのネガティブイメージを回避しやすくなる。たとえばAmazonは官僚主義の削減を理由にしたが、アナリストはAI投資(データセンター等)の資金確保が真の目的と見ている。
- 結論として、AIが将来的に仕事を変える可能性はあるものの、現時点では「AIによる解雇」よりも過剰採用の是正や財務上の都合が主因であり、企業がAIを言い訳に使う「AI‑washing」現象が顕在化している。
The New York Times lists other reasons a company lays off people. ("It didn't meet financial targets. It overhired. Tariffs, or the loss of a big client, rocked it...")
"But lately, many companies are highlighting a new factor: artificial intelligence. Executives, saying they anticipate huge changes from the technology, are making cuts now."
A.I. was cited in the announcements of more than 50,000 layoffs in 2025, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a research firm... Investors may applaud such pre-emptive moves. But some skeptics (including media outlets) suggest that corporations are disingenuously blaming A.I. for layoffs, or "A.I.-washing." As the market research firm Forrester put it in a January report: "Many companies announcing A.I.-related layoffs do not have mature, vetted A.I. applications ready to fill those roles, highlighting a trend of 'A.I.-washing' — attributing financially motivated cuts to future A.I. implementation...."
"Companies are saying that 'we're anticipating that we're going to introduce A.I. that will take over these jobs.' But it hasn't happened yet. So that's one reason to be skeptical," said Peter Cappelli, a professor at the Wharton School... Of course, A.I. may well end up transforming the job market, in tech and beyond. But a recent study... [by a senior research fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies A.I. and work] found that AI has not yet meaningfully shifted the overall market. Tech firms have cut more than 700,000 employees globally since 2022, according to Layoffs.fyi, which tracks industry job losses. But much of that was a correction for overhiring during the pandemic.
As unpopular as A.I. job cuts may be to the public, they may be less controversial than other reasons — like bad company planning.
Amazon CEO Jassy has even said the reason for most of their layoffs was reducing bureaucracy, the article points out, although "Most analysts, however, believe Amazon is cutting jobs to clear money for A.I. investments, such as data centers."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.