AI layoffs are not mass replacement. They’re mass restructuring. The strongest stay, the weakest go, just like COVID.
I hear it everywhere from university, government agencies, and tech giants: “Huge rounds of layoffs are coming because of AI.”
But what is really happening? Are we all getting replaced?
Think back to COVID. Did everyone die during the pandemic? No. Only those with the weakest immune systems were at the greatest risk. The strongest adapted and things got back to normal.
Much like COVID revealed vulnerability in health, the current wave of AI-driven redundancies is exposing weakness in organizations. Attaching the label of “AI-related” to layoffs often masks a long-desired restructuring. AI has simply given leaders the justification to reprioritise, reset, and remove weak links.
If, during the peak of COVID, you had said: “Things will mostly return to normal, but the weakest will suffer while the strongest come back even stronger,” few would have believed you. But that’s exactly what happened.
The same applies today. AI is not about mass replacement. People, and companies will continue to do what they’re doing now. It’s about reshaping industries, reprioritizing talent, and strengthening workforces. Over the next few years, this truth will become clear: the strongest employees will remain secure, while weaker ones will face the real challenge of adapting. Those weak ones are likely to become the natural candidates for support systems like Universal Basic Income (UBI) or social security programs.
Once the AI hype passes, we won’t be living in a post-human jobless society. We’ll simply have a better tool with stronger workers. Our mindset will shift, but humanity and jobs will remain.
Mohsin With E 
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