AI agents are already performing daily tasks at many companies, leading to layoffs.
Deploying AI agents is no longer futuristic at Salesforce. CEO Marc Benioff states that AI performs 30 to 50 percent of all tasks within his company. This results in efficiency, but also layoffs.
AI as a Replacement, not an Assistant
Earlier this year, Salesforce cut 1,000 jobs and deliberately did not replace them all. The new employees must focus on selling Agentforce, an AI solution that automates human labor for clients. Employees are thus replaced by AI, while others are hired to sell AI.
Other tech giants are following suit. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently acknowledged that AI is leading to a smaller workforce. Workday has already cut nearly 2,000 jobs this year. Klarna has stopped hiring new employees thanks to AI.
AI Causes Layoffs
According to a source from SiliconANGLE, more than 63,000 tech jobs have disappeared this year. AI seems to play an increasingly significant role in this. At companies like CrowdStrike and Dropbox, entire teams are reportedly replaced by AI tools, despite other official statements.
Benioff calls it a “digital labor revolution.” Salesforce’s AI agents perform with an accuracy of 93 percent, he claims. Other companies fall far below that because they have less data and metadata available. He emphasizes that AI allows people to “create added value,” but in practice, this mainly means that some roles disappear.
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