The great AI layoff is turning into the great AI rehire

Companies that replaced workers with AI are discovering an expensive reality: Automation without human expertise often backfires. For the past two years, a certain kind of corporate announcement has become almost routine. The company cuts staff. The company cites AI. The company moves on. The formula was clean, the earnings calls were tidy, and the narrative was simple enough to fit in a headline. The only problem is that it wasn’t true, and the consequences are now showing up in ways that are hard to ignore.