#automation

Walmart is closing two fulfillment centers. One facility is in Matteson, Illinois, and another is in Worcester, Massachusetts. These closures will impact 201 employees in total. The company is shifting to larger, automated logistics operations. Saks Global and ShipMonk are also reducing their logistics footprints.

https://wwd.com/sourcing-journal/logistics/walmart-layoffs-closes-smaller-fulfillment-centers-illinois-massachusetts-sams-club-saks-global-shipmonk-job-cuts-1238871849/

With layoffs happening this morning, it looks like the company may be in the middle of a broader cost-cutting and restructuring move. A possible explanation is that leadership is reducing headcount in areas it believes can be automated or absorbed by AI-enabled tools and smaller teams, with the aim of lowering costs, improving margins, and signaling a more efficient operating model to shareholders. If that is what is happening, the message is less about short-term performance and more about a transformation strategy centered on automation, leaner staffing, and investor-facing value creation.

Any RIF impact on them?

Aravind Srinivas (CEO, Perplexity) just dropped a blunt take on AI layoffs: most people don’t even like their jobs, so getting replaced by AI might actually be the push they need to build something better.

Speaking alongside rising fears from leaders like Bill McDermott (CEO, ServiceNow), who warns unemployment could surge, Srinivas flips the narrative, arguing AI is unlocking a wave of “mini businesses” powered by tools anyone can learn.

Mark Cuban and Sam Altman agree the shift is real: companies are already cutting roles and doing more with smaller teams. Bottom line: AI isn’t just ki-ling jobs, it’s rewriting the rules, and the people who adapt fastest may end up better off than ever.

https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/most-people-dont-enjoy-jobs-213315361

Anyone remember this!
Looks like they were pretty spot on, just delayed due to COVID.

Giving you a heads up
Sept 1-most Prof/Tech and Para's will start re-entering the building. Leadership will have been transitioning into the buildings starting July 12. Now leaders can meet in person to discuss the following!

November - TMs will start meeting with employees to discuss the new Future State Operating models- Fire re-org, HRU, Stewardship, Prox....Team Lead structure U/W, Auto/FIre, a lot less TM's-only in the specialized areas, no ratings for employees, like TMs are today, with just a percentage/EIP. Levels of leadership will start getting cut and there will be more targeted transitions for tenured TMs, SMs, and CMs. Most CMs and SMs jobs are gone. AFS and Sales Leaders jobs are basically going away too. Korn Ferry will be utilized to determine who stays and go! Estimatics is done and so are most of Prox-outsourced to third party vendors-transition plans will be offered or more reassignments.
January 1, 2022- Pension buy-out offers are coming and employees will get heads up. Take it, trust me! There will be some decent incentives, bridging, time service etc...will be your last chance. Will be tied to staying around a certain period of time depending on local/Hub/LOC/job function/level. Agents will start all selling Gainsco ins too!

What's left-over-2nd Quarter 2022 LOC will find out their final faiths-depend on how quickly they can be replaced in hub cities/need. Also job class changes coming for U/W and Claims across all levels. No more $90K Auto/Fire Underwriters or Claim Reps in Prop-Complex and/or TM's for $130K a year to clear task, review a letter or review a file! TL will handle for $50-$60! CCC consolidation etc....

3rd Quarter 2022- 100 years now and changes to agency contract. More bots to automate away a lot of easy claims functions and U/W is going to start getting a lot more automation-ST to ST transfers, all added cars, all new business, automation of RAS/non-renewals and sunsetting the error based processing system. Target number of 40,000 employees by end of 2022, down from our current 57,500 approx. today! 25% reduction overall, target has been around 10% a year give or take a few percentages/turnover.

Pucker up ladies, gents, transitioning....!!!! It's amazing what things are left unprotected on SharePoints sites if you know where to look! You haven't seen sh-t yet!

Am I the only one whose productivity wend down due to AI? Checking and rechecking things is taking more time than doing something on my own. I'm just saying, this AI push might not have the results they're hoping for.

The new AI visit tool is effectively handling much of the DL's workload. As a result, we could expand the number of stores per district, and downsize the number of DLs in the FS by at least one or two per region. The payroll savings from this reduction could be reinvested into increasing hours in the FS, where actual customer-facing work occurs.

So, basically the only thing there keep is Data Center Technicians IC5 and IC6 and only until they figure out how to Automate the manual work replacing cables and drives.

Many HR functions could be handled far more efficiently by AI. Tasks like managing job offers, coordinating interviews, handling relocations, and processing employee concerns need accuracy and consistency, and AI is way better at that than traditional systems. less delays, less errors.

This is pretty crazy:

https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/anthropic-claude-disruptive-company-pentagon/

I'm sure there's a large amount of effort that goes into validation, but yikes. Meanwhile, AI from MS lags pretty far behind, so WF people are safe for a bit. Has anyone seen any actual AI agent automation being experimented with in any meaningful way at this point? If so, tell us what it's doing!

Did you use AI today? Did you automate your job so we can fire you?

ExxonMobil's breakthrough in fully automated offshore drilling in Guyana has significant implications for its shareholders. The automation system not only enhances drilling efficiency and execution but also offers potential cost savings and improved well economics. This shift towards automation may lead to a more consistent and reliable production profile, which is crucial for maintaining shareholder value. Additionally, the successful deployment of this technology could influence capital allocation for ExxonMobil's offshore projects, potentially protecting well economics amid volatile oil price cycles.

While the automation system introduces new risks, such as software failures and cyber vulnerabilities, the long-term benefits of increased efficiency and operational consistency are likely to outweigh these risks for ExxonMobil's shareholders. The company's ability to demonstrate the effectiveness of its automation technology in Guyana could serve as a blueprint for future field developments, potentially impacting capital allocation for other offshore projects and beyond.

Overall, ExxonMobil's automation breakthrough in Guyana represents a significant step forward for the company's upstream operations and could have a positive impact on its shareholders by enhancing operational efficiency and potentially protecting well economics.

https://energynews.africa/2026/03/18/exxonmobil-pioneers-fully-automated-offshore-drilling-in-guyana-redefining-future-project-economics/

I’m so frustrated. I feel like no one is using critical thinking anymore. Everyone’s in a race to automate their work and use co pilot to do their jobs but they aren’t taking the time to validate if any of it makes sense. I’ve found so many mistakes due to automation. No one is challenging or validating data anymore. If it looks fine it must be right. No….. This creates unnecessary fire drills which leads to the blame game.

Co pilot and automation should never replace critical thinking and quality control.

Higher pay?
Remote?
not AI first?
not using enough AI(Copilot)

Watch for more RAs in Consulting very soon. . .

https://www.businessinsider.com/consulting-management-ai-agents-future-ibm-2026-3

By: Lakshmi Varanasi
Mar 23, 2026, 4:01 AM CT

• IBM's consulting arm monitors the work of AI agents using a real-time dashboard.
• IBM says AI agents have sped up security investigations, cutting task time from 45 to a few minutes.
• IBM Consulting's revenue reached $21 billion in 2025, driven by demand for AI solutions.

At IBM's consulting arm, the future isn't a slide deck or a strategy memo — it's a live dashboard where humans monitor the work of AI agents in real time.

Earlier this month, Mohamad Ali, senior vice president of IBM Consulting, walked Business Insider through the dashboard that the company both uses internally and recently released to clients.

"Every hour I can see what's going on with all the humans associated with digital workers," and vice versa, he said. "That is the new consulting model going forward."

The dashboard is known internally as "Consulting Advantage." The company unveiled it in 2024 to help its own consultants build and manage teams of AI agents. This January, it unveiled "Enterprise Advantage," a similar version of the platform for clients that allows them to build and manage AI agents at scale.

In recent years, the firm has made itself the testing ground for building and deploying digital workers as it prepares clients for a future defined by AI. Ali said the firm has digital staff working side by side with humans on more than 150 client engagements.

Take the example of a typical security operations center, he said. When an alert comes in, a human investigator would normally spend about 45 minutes combing through logs to figure out what went wrong and what to do next. At IBM, he said, that process is increasingly handled by AI.

Digital workers first "generate an investigation plan." Then they execute it in real time. Multiple agents tackle different parts of the problem simultaneously, passing tasks back and forth, he said. Then they run a risk analysis and produce a report. The process now takes just a couple of minutes. The findings are then passed back to a human — with key actions highlighted — and the human verifies it.

In January alone, IBM used this approach to complete 52,000 investigations, Ali said.

IBM has evolved dramatically from its early days as a maker of mainframe computers into a key player in the AI bo-m. The company said its generative AI department was valued at $12.5 billion during its fourth-quarter earnings call.

Its consulting department, especially, has seen an uptick due to demand for generative AI and services that help clients implement it. Consulting revenue for 2025 came in at over $21 billion, up from about $20.7 billion in 2024.

IBM Consulting has been around for decades. The company acquired PwC's consulting arm in 2002. PwC would later rebuild its consulting business after a five-year noncompete clause expired.

IBM Consulting now employs about 150,000 employees and says its work overlaps with the Big Four and more technology-focused firms like Accenture.

"We don't do, like, what markets you should be in," Ali said. "We do strategy around 'how do you take your corporate strategy and implement it?'"

And right now, he said, there's a big question in corporate strategy: How do you prepare for a world where humans work alongside AI agents?

Union Pacific recently eliminated 17 carmen positions at its Green River station. This action is part of broader workforce reductions across the railroad industry. Former legislator Stan Blake warns that fewer human inspectors and more automation could increase train accidents. Railroad companies seek waivers to reduce human track inspections, citing technology benefits. However, labor groups argue automated systems cannot fully replace human detection of critical defects.

Green River, Wyoming

Whomever decided to migrate fully to Facets needs to be fired. I’ve never experienced such issues in my life. For a platform that is web based and updated, I feel like I’ve moved to the Middle Ages. It’s slow and dreadful and goes down often. Automation is severely lacking. How can LG possibly meet 1st pass? I feel like we’ve been set up to fail. Does anyone else feel this way?

Interesting post on X, it's clearly not from a VP in oracle, but the numbers and sentiment in it is spot on. https://x.com/gothburz/status/2032125473199714767

Warehouse workers for Southern Glazer in Las Vegas were recently laid off. They claim artificial intelligence robots are replacing their positions. Around 50 of more than 100 warehouse staff were reportedly let go on March 8. The affected workers performed tasks like picking products and building pallets. Southern Glazer has not yet responded to requests for comment.

https://www.8newsnow.com/news/las-vegas-warehouse-workers-claim-ai-replaced-them/amp/

Being told to implement IA to do your job, so we don't need you anymore, or we will let you go, makes no sense. Especially when no tools or assistance are provided.
It's like telling the bus driver to implement a self-driving system so we don't need you any more, or we let you go and we will implement one ourselves, while the bus and it's customers sit at the curb. We need someone to write the book, "how to ki-l a company with two letters".

Dell Technologies has reduced its workforce for the third consecutive year, reflecting a broader shift in the tech industry toward AI and efficiency over headcount growth.

I don’t mind working for a company knowing my number could be drawn at any moment. The pressure doesn’t bother me, at least I have a job.

Dell isn’t “failing” it’s evolving.
But the tradeoff is clear - fewer employees, more automation, and a big bet on AI driving the future.

Natural progression for all companies.

And so it begins: the pressure from above to start using AI tools. The reality: whatever can be replaced in the next years will be. We wont need to outsource anymore, AI will do it. So, if things are bad, it will get worse.

I am honestly asking on what the current employees (lucky ones!) think of the BNY AI "baby" - is it really useful in your daily job?
Is the agent doing all boring taks and you just supervise the agent as was imagined originally ;)?

Apologies.
Please be aware that planned optimization activities must be postponed this weekend because we migrated our accounts and nobody in the department can reach the share point with the list of lucky block 6 lottery winners.
We are working around the clock and expect to have normal randomized employee census optimization up and running soon.
IT apologies for any delay in receiving your severance.

PS : next month we expect to have the census agent bot up and running. It will work round the clock to detect any employee down time and automatically fire people when direct labor drops below daily targets.
These are exciting times.

Happy separations day!

I’m sure you’ve seen the news about the Amazon debacle where AWS was taken down for half a day by an AI mistake. This will not be an isolated incident. Expect more of this as companies keep replacing experienced employees with flawed AI systems. Why everyone keeps doubling down on this is beyond me.

Someone I know is an ebilling employee at hertz In ireland and has informed me that they are being laid off as part of a group of 78 people. What's left of this department is left to train workers in India who be training bots to do the ebilling instead.

Based on everything I'm hearing, reading, and even in Google's AI certification programs, we are at least decades away from this, and some suspect it's not even possible to have a machine that solve problems, learn like a child, build on experience, plan for the future, and be an expert in all things.

I guess my newest concern is that if Dan actually believes it's possible and he's getting rid of humans to replace with robots, what is going to happen this company?! Or will he get specialized robots that complete single tasks, which doesn't seem ultra beneficial for much of what we do.

I just feel more confused by his declarations

It will pause but not stop. Tweaks will continue as orgs/teams align to the new landscape. Larger ones pick up again next year as the Digital strategy and AI rollout continue to expand in these areas:

• customer service automation
• network optimization
• fraud detection
• sales personalization

Look for these types of roles to increase / hire in the coming year:

• AI network engineers
• data scientists
• cybersecurity specialists
• automation architects

Putting this up so it’s not lost in replies. OP: @e2+1kk9gpsf9

State Farm Drones & AI.

This is interesting, but not just State Farm.

https://news.yahoo.com/finance/news/homeowner-hit-20k-bill-state-154526906.html

So its bad enough we’re losing staff to false performance ratings and India but now we’re going to lose them for imaginary employees. BNY is a joke and everyone needs to get out of banking. All these id--ts are copying each other with RV think BNY is going to lead automation . Yeah ok buddy. First you have to update the dinosaur systems you forced us to use

is whether AI agents implemented over the last 6 months will get laid off too? And in what order? Eg,

• Expensive US based employees first
• then EU
• offshore/outsourced workers next
• AI agents, once nobody else is left

Most of what India does can be replaced with AI agents.

Tech layoffs reached over 45,000 globally in early 2026. Approximately 20% of these reductions, totaling over 9,200 jobs, are linked to AI implementation. Block accounted for the largest single cut with 4,000 layoffs, driven by AI tool capabilities. Other companies like WiseTech Global, Livspace, eBay, and Pinterest also reduced staff due to AI strategies. Firms are restructuring operations around AI-driven workflows to boost efficiency and automate tasks.

https://technode.global/2026/03/09/2026-tech-layoffs-reach-45000-in-march-more-than-9200-due-to-ai-and-automation-rationalfx/

Verizon layoffs to hit 15,000 roles in 2026 as automation takes over https://share.google/AJuhG51e9EFToXk0E

Verizon layoffs to hit 15,000 roles in 2026 as automation takes over https://share.google/AJuhG51e9EFToXk0E

Story by bgriffiths@insider.com (Brent D. Griffiths)

Anthropic economists say they have developed a new way to track how AI will upend the workforce.
Their new measure shows that AI use hasn't come close to tapping the full power of large language models.
Not surprisingly, they say the most exposed field is computer programmers.
Anthropic economists say that AI use is far from reaching its full potential to disrupt the labor market.

Using their new measure, they found the five most exposed occupations to be: Computer programmers, customer service representatives, data entry keyers, medical record specialists, and market research analysts and marketing specialists.

AI has yet to significantly affect the unemployment rate for workers in these highly exposed professions, economists Maxim Massenkoff and Peter McCrory wrote. The pair said there is "suggestive evidence" that the hiring of young workers in those fields has slowed.

Massenkoff and McCrory also wrote that there are a number of tasks and, in some cases, whole jobs that AI can't do, such as making legal arguments in a courtroom.

"Many tasks, of course, remain beyond AI's reach—from physical agricultural work like pruning trees and operating farm machinery to legal tasks like representing clients in court," the pair wrote.

The core of Massenkoff and McCrory's paper proposes a new way to measure AI displacement risk that combines real-world data on Claude usage with other factors, including tasks that are theoretically possible for AI.

Anthropic has been publishing real-world data on Claude usage for every state and Washington, DC, through their "Anthropic Economic Index."

By doing so, the pair said that they hope to pinpoint economic disruption more reliably in real time, making it easier to "help identify the most vulnerable jobs before displacement is visible."

"This approach won't capture every channel through which AI could reshape the labor market, but by laying this groundwork now, before meaningful effects have emerged, we hope future findings will more reliably identify economic disruption than post-hoc analyses," they wrote.

The measure, which they call Observed Exposure, shows just how far LLMs have to go to disrupt specific job tasks that AI could theoretically replace or augment.

"For instance, Claude currently covers just 33% of all tasks in the Computer & Math category," they wrote.

Dario Amodei has warned about the future of white-collar work
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has repeatedly sounded the alarm about AI job displacement. He has said that AI could replace up to half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in the next one to five years. Amodei has stuck by his views even as others in the industry, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, have questioned his outlook.

Massenkoff and McCrory's findings dovetail with a growing consensus that AI could eliminate most entry-level software engineering jobs. One of the biggest uses for Anthropic's Claude is coding.

Boris Cherny, creator of Claude Code, recently said he expects the title of software engineer to start to "go away" in 2026.

xAI CEO Elon Musk said last year that "anything that is physically moving atoms" will outlast AI disruption longer. The Anthropic economists found that the least exposed professions include cooks, motorcycle mechanics, lifeguards, bartenders, and dishwashers

It is worth noting that sweeping predictions of AI job disruption haven't always aged well.

Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called "Godfather of AI," said in 2016 that "people should stop training radiologists now" and that within five years AI would surpass humans in the field. A decade later, radiologists remain in demand. Hinton told The New York Times in 2025 that his prediction was too broad and that the timing was off, even as he was correct about the direction of AI progress.

AI disruption also won't affect everyone the same way, the Anthropic economists wrote.

Based on US Census Bureau data from the three months before ChatGPT's release, the economists found that "Workers in the most exposed professions are more likely to be older, female, more educated, and higher-paid."

https://x.com/PeterMcCrory/status/2029716715916198006/photo/1

@PeterMcCrory
Head of Economics at Anthropic.

What’s the deal with this new buzz around AI DLC? Anyone have some insight into what it actually is? Also curious how many more jobs or roles might be at risk because of it.

This wave of AI-driven transformation only makes a small group of capitalists richer, while the majority of others may end up being harmed.