The layoffs have already started long time ago, and with AI, this is replacing the traditional workers and for these companies to save money. Like what Microsoft[1] did for its call centers, it's saved $500M because of the usage of AI but at the cost of many employees lost their jobs. It's sad that this has to happen and with one of the biggest companies in the world, we have to change and upgrade as well with skills irreplaceable by AI.
[1]
Microsoft racks up over $500 million in AI savings while slashing jobs, Bloomberg News reportsIf i'm being honest AI has become the perfect excuses for these companies to slash their spending on employee.
They don't slash jobs because the AI is good, they slash it because they've been waiting for the right time to do so and as it happens the AI narrative is very good for that and it won't spark rage because, well AI is the new revolutionary thing now and people consider it normal.
I think most of them did really slashed those jobs because of AI as it made them cost effective and more efficient. But it's also possible that many of them are what you've said that they're just using AI as an excuse to remove all of the employees that they have to remove. That's unfair and injustice if that's the case. Maybe, we'll see some cases in the future about laid off employees that have been unjustified with their labor benefits and why the company chose to do it.