Ford and BT CEOs Warn of AI Job Cuts as Study Flags Wage Upside

Corporate leaders are issuing starkly different assessments of artificial-intelligence automation’s impact on employment. Ford Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley told the Aspen Ideas Festival that AI will “literally replace” half of all U.S. white-collar workers, warning that many employees could be left behind without a clear social safety plan. His remarks echo FTSE 100 operator BT Group, whose chief executive Allison Kirkby has already targeted as many as 55,000 job cuts by 2030 and says the figure could rise as the telecoms company learns more about the technology’s potential.

Amazon’s Andy Jassy has cautioned staff that AI can assume work now done by people, while Salesforce head Marc Benioff says the software maker’s generative tools already handle 30-50 percent of tasks such as coding and customer support. The declarations are intended to show investors that automation will boost efficiency, yet they have intensified concerns about wider labour-market disruption.

New research paints a more nuanced picture. A report by human-resources analyst Josh Bersin, “The Rise of the Superworker,” finds 60 percent of companies are only experimenting with simple task automation and fewer than one in ten use advanced systems like ChatGPT at scale. Bersin argues that, paired with training, AI can enhance productivity and lift wages rather than eliminate swathes of positions.

Hiring data underscore how the debate is already reshaping entry-level work. U.K. postings for interns, junior administrators and similar roles have fallen 31.9 percent since late 2022, with vacancies for junior IT staff down 54.8 percent, according to Adzuna. Globally, the World Economic Forum projects 83 million jobs will disappear and 69 million new ones will emerge between 2023 and 2027, leaving a net loss of 14 million roles and sharpening the focus on policies that combine up-skilling with responsible deployment of AI.