There's an interesting article in the New York Times about AI replacing white-collar workers:

"Which Workers Will A.I. Hurt Most: The Young or the Experienced?"

Amid layoffs at Microsoft and other large tech companies, experts are debating whose jobs are most likely to be spared.

The debate over AI's impact in the workplace usually focuses on the question of which jobs are at risk of replacement. This is an important question! There are other matters to consider, as well:

1/ What tasks can AI handle right now? A lot of AI marketing focuses on what it might do someday . That's not helpful when you're talking about AI performing business tasks. Especially when you plan to replace experienced people with machines.

(You'll notice that I say "task" there and not "job." A single AI system is task-focused and unlikely to fulfill an entire FTE role in a company.)

2/ What does company leadership believe AI can do? Because that belief will drive their decisions on how/whether/when to modify the org chart. Even if that belief is built on shaky ground, or outright mistaken. And even if they later, quietly, bring people (back!) in to perform cleanup. (Examples here and here.)

3/ How will companies track AI's performance? It does no good to replace people with AI if you don't then keep track of metrics. How else will you confirm that you've made a good decision?

The idea of replacing people with genAI is an attractive prospect for many executives. But the questions of when, how, and why are not so simple.