Firms in New York Plead “Not Guilty” on Robo-Replacement Accusations!
“No Company Has Admitted to Replacing Workers With AI in New York”
“No entity that pulled a payroll tax break for creating jobs in New York State revealed they had wiped out any of those jobs with AI or other technology. An audit found that companies that receive such awards are not required to disclose whether they cut positions following technological innovations.”
Oh, what a surprise. It turns out, tech companies enjoying payroll tax breaks have no pressing need to sing from the rooftops about their transition to artificial intelligence (AI) and a subsequent job redundancy massacre. This must be shocking news, but wait, there’s more. Apparently, ‘technological innovations’ is a get-out-of-jail-free card when it comes to job cuts.
In a brief history trip down memory lane, remember the time when technology was hailed as the savior of labor demanding jobs? The substitution of manual labor with innovative technology promised an era where humans could potentially live leisure-filled lives. Instead, we’re now smack in the middle of a brutal job massacre with these ‘cyber additions’ laughing in our faces. Oh yes, make no mistake, behind those electronic screens, there’s a chorus of cruel, silicon-infused laughter.
The striking revelation here isn’t the stealthy approach of tech companies, but rather the state’s apparent lackadaisical approach to its job preservation obligations. This lack of due diligence leaves employees swimming like sitting ducks in tumultuous waters. With an audit revealing the state’s indifferent attitude towards enforcing a compulsory ‘reporting’ function, it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet for tech companies.
Of course, fear not, there’s no trace of bias here. Despite being in the tech industry, there’s no inclination towards defending the ‘brotherhood’. However, at the end some lingering questions can’t be shaken off. Why is reporting not a compulsory part of the tax break deal? And more importantly, why do we have no contingency plan in place for those who lose their jobs in the technology takeover?
Lessons from this debacle? First, ‘technological innovations’ is apparently a magic word to wave away any job cut concerns. Second, there are no big bad wolves in the tech industry, just a bunch of crafty foxes. And finally, if you thought your job was safe from our AI overlords, think again. It’s only a matter of time before tech companies innovate their way towards an entirely robotic workforce. After all, they’ve got state-approved, tax-break fuel to keep them going.
Cheer up though, maybe that’s a good thing. A robotic workforce might finally bring about that leisure-filled life technology initially promised, right? To that, the only fitting reply could be – keep dreaming.