I am a proofreader for an expert network, so I listen to a lot of discussions between CEOs and industry experts and analyse the (AI generated) transcripts.

Nearly every single call is about cutting workforce in order to "leverage the benefits" of AI.

I'm talking every industry. Drivers, analysts, doctors, receptionists, radiologists, warehousing, logistics, legal, administrative, accounting, marketing. And that's just what I can remember in one minute. Every single call is about it, and I listen to about 10 a day.

Edited Tuesday at 03:53 PM2 days by Langeveldt

On 6/30/2026 at 7:27 AM, Tuskin38 said:

Studies have shown otherwise.

And studies have shown using AI actually slows down productivity, one reason is because people have started second guessing themselves a lot more often and stop ask the AI if they're right.

What studies? By whom?

Not to stray too far off topic, but I just want to point out that we should not take what is said at face value. I can find countless articles where companies claim to layoff employees because of AI. In some cases at least, I think AI just becomes the excuse to downsize. Now, AI will automate some jobs, but we really don't know that number.

I'm not saying to be a boat anchor against progress. All I say is to take a moment and evaluate the tech. What can it do? What are its limitations right now? Like any technology, it will have rough edges that likely take time to improve. I mean, I can already see the improvement in AI searching from 6 months ago until now. 6 months ago I would never have trusted just asking AI a question, but now? I verify, but it has gotten a lot better in just that short time.

I am in two minds about AI...

First I am a proponent of using AI to replace manual, repetitive and mundane tasks with some better search and data analysis capabilities, process automation and so on. I can certainly see the benefits there. I use it for work for exactly this purpose.

However the accuracy of the AI algorithms needs to dramatically improve.

A couple, of examples, one flightsim related.

1. Someone in the forums was asking a question on a specific flightsim product whether the cargo doors were operational or not. I entered my AI prompt specifying the specific doors and the specific product and back came the result that of course it was functional. Then I took the time to review the citation and discovered it had pulled that information for an entirely different product.

2. Completely different topic... How can AI realistically and safely manage autonomous driving? I keep hearing the reviews of new cars on the roads and various safety and autonomous driving tests that are conducted, but the robustness is just not there yet. e.g. can it manage to change lanes safely if a lane is being blocked (lets say police traffic cones) or can it really steer the correct path at night when that fluorescent tape that is used in road traffic constructions to divide driving lanes has half flown away or is completely misplaced on the carriage way.

I also have a concern about the environmental footprint and the impact it has on local communities. Its not an "all-win" situation. There are communities that are suffering with these huge data centers that are being built.

Also from an innovation standpoint I have heard it argued this is a catalyst for innovation, but at the same time if we are all using the same tools , what's the real innovation advantage then? Does this then suggest that AI tools will become very discrete in their use and limited to a select few in order to not give away that advantage to the broader majority?

So ultimately there’s two main points I want to make...

a) AI has value but it should be treated as a starting point and should not assume (at this stage of maturity) it will provide the ultimate, final solution unless you can be certain that the data set it is working from is highly qualified and accurate. And you still need to use your brain and validate the results make sense.

b) Ultimately, I think it will require some regulation in terms of how to use AI responsibly..... just like many other things in life!

Cheers,