At IBM, AI just took over HR – is your job next?
IBM’s recent confirmation that it has replaced several hundred human resources staff with artificial intelligence might have passed under the radar for some. After all, the company claims that its overall headcount is still rising. But to dismiss this development as a mere reshuffling of resources would be dangerously naïve.
The tech giant’s internal reorganisation is a stark preview of the storm brewing on the horizon – the rapid automation of white-collar work, not just in HR, but across entire industries. The world appears to be hurtling towards a future where work efficiency may come at the expense of humanity.
CEO Arvind Krishna, speaking to The Wall Street Journal, painted a rosy picture. He said AI has freed up investment to be put into “other areas” – software engineering, marketing, and sales – where critical thinking and human interaction are still needed.
“Our total employment has actually gone up,” Krishna said, offering reassurance that IBM isn’t reducing headcount so much as reallocating roles.
But this narrative glosses over a chilling reality: certain categories of jobs are being erased, not evolved.
Replacing human workers at IBM
IBM’s Chief Technology Officer Ji-eun Lee confirmed that their AI-powered AskHR tool has automated 94% of basic HR tasks – from processing vacation requests to providing pay slips. Meanwhile, AskIT has cut IT support workload by 70%.
The threat of an AI takeover just became more palpable: if your job can be broken down into steps, a machine will likely learn how to do it faster, cheaper, and without needing sick days.
The figures are staggering. IBM reports a US$3.5 billion “productivity improvement” over two years thanks to AI across 70 business functions. The company’s new generative AI offerings, announced at its annual Think conference, are now part of a $6 billion business. Clients can build AI agents capable of executing complex tasks in under five minutes. These tools are not just replacing human labour – they’re redefining the very nature of work.
It would be comforting to believe that displaced workers are simply being retrained and reassigned, but the truth is less tidy. IBM has not disclosed the timeline of its layoffs or the specifics of who was rehired and into what roles. It’s one thing to upskill a payroll officer into a software developer; it’s quite another to assume this can be done at scale, or that everyone has the aptitude – or opportunity – to make such a leap.
Read: OpenAI ramps up hiring to meet explosive user growth
The risk of undervaluing humans at work
This is not an IBM-specific story. Klarna’s CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, proudly declared that its AI chatbot had done the work of 700 customer service agents. The company then imposed a hiring freeze, plugging gaps with AI rather than people. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff similarly stated that new AI tools could replace gig workers during high-demand periods.
Where tasks are transactional, AI is becoming the default hire.
We are no longer talking about the distant future. This is happening now. AI isn’t just knocking at the door – it has already made itself at home in boardrooms and back offices, with C-suites embracing it as the golden ticket to productivity and profitability. Yet, in our rush to embrace the machines, we risk forgetting the humans.
What makes this especially troubling is that many of the roles being automated are entry-level or foundational to career progression. HR assistants, customer service representatives, IT help desk operators – these positions often serve as stepping stones, providing experience, income, and a foot in the door for younger or less formally educated workers.
If these rungs of the corporate ladder are removed, where will the next generation begin?
The more insidious danger lies in how these changes are being communicated. Phrases such as the “reallocation of resources” and “productivity improvement” make the trend sound harmless – even beneficial.
But the subtext is stark: entire functions are being gutted, and workers are being asked to either “reskill” or become obsolete. There is no safety net in place, no universal blueprint for workforce transition, and no meaningful public debate about the consequences.
Read: CEO wants proof you're better than a bot
The endgame in an AI-dominated workplace
Analysts suggest this is only the beginning. Describing IBM’s transformation as “the first inning in a nine-inning game” might be meant to inspire confidence, but it should instead raise alarm. If this is only the start, what does the endgame look like?
Are we witnessing the rise of an economy humming with machine-led efficiency and stripped of jobs that once formed the backbone of the middle class?
Some might argue that every technological leap has triggered a wave of job losses followed by new opportunities. The printing press, the assembly line, the internet – all of these disrupted and then rebuilt the labour market. But what makes this wave different is its unprecedented speed and breadth.
AI is not confined to one industry or skill set; it is capable of displacing roles across finance, education, media, health care, and beyond. And unlike previous revolutions, this one doesn’t require physical infrastructure or long lead times – it’s software, scaling at the speed of light.
To be clear, AI itself is not the villain. It holds the potential to solve real problems, from medical diagnostics to climate modelling. But without ethical oversight, robust reskilling systems, and corporate accountability, its unchecked rollout could exacerbate inequality, widen the digital divide, and hollow out the social contract between employers and workers.
If this moment feels unsettling, that’s because it is. We are entering an era where machines will increasingly decide who gets hired, who gets let go, and who is deemed valuable.
The conversation can no longer be about what AI can do – it must be about what we should let it do.
The future of work shouldn’t be a race to the bottom in search of the cheapest, fastest way to do things. It should be about using technology to empower, not erase, the workforce.
IBM may have just given us a glimpse into the future. Let’s make sure we don’t sleepwalk into it unprepared.