The bots have clocked in

AI’s Workforce Revolution: From Human Jobs to AI Agents—And the Employees, Companies, and Industries Navigating the Shift.

Author

Malcolm Frank, CEO
May 19, 2025

 

The bots have clocked in

A year ago, the idea that AI might replace jobs was still comfortably theoretical—a conversation topic for panels and podcasts (and, yes, this newsletter). Six months ago, the signals started blinking: here and there, roles quietly evaporated. But now? The shift has begun in earnest.

They’ve started, predictably, in the places where pattern recognition and repetition reign: Customer Service, Sales, and Marketing. The low-hanging fruit. But the headlines aren’t about those. The spotlight is on software development—because that’s where the promise was. We were told, not long ago, to "learn to code." That was the future. It was safe. It paid well.

And so, when Microsoft laid off 6,000 employees last week—just after disclosing that 30% of its code is now AI-generated—it landed with a thud. A very loud, very expensive thud.

Meanwhile, over in fintech, Klarna doubled down on AI automation in its customer support team—despite recent reports suggesting otherwise. Spoiler: the machines are staying. The humans are not.

The question isn’t whether this is happening. It’s whether your org is still waiting for a memo that’s already been written—by a bot.

Klarna CEO: We’re giving AI more customer service work, not less

Headlines announcing Klarna’s AI pullback were wrong, its CEO says. Instead of retreating, it’s handing more tasks to the bots.

Microsoft lays off Bay Area engineers after CEO says up to 30% of code is by AI

A laid-off director wrote, “To those also affected—you're not alone. We are at least 6,000.”

The AI threat for coding jobs is becoming clearer

“Coding is at the leading edge of AI integration, so it’s no surprise that engineers are among the first to feel the impact. They’re the first — but won’t be the last.”

GitHub Copilot wants to become your peer programmer

GitHub's CEO Thomas Dohmke and CPO Mario Rodriguez talk about AI agents and the future of programming.

Nvidia CEO: If I were a student today, here’s how I’d use AI to do my job better

“If I were a student today, irrespective of whether it’s for math or science or chemistry or biology — doesn’t matter what field of science I’m going into or what profession — I’m going to ask myself, ‘How can I use AI to do my job better?’” 

“Everybody’s replaceable”: The new ways bosses talk about workers

“Corporate America’s long-running war for talent sounds more like a war on the talent these days….Today executives are pulling no punches in saying employees need to work harder, complain less, and be glad they still have jobs.”

Will AI destroy your job or upgrade it? Depends on your skillset, research shows

A Georgia State University study examined seven areas of human labor that can be automated. The effects of AI are a mixed bag.

Case study: How EY navigated its own AI transformation

EY has embraced self-disruption. How’s it going?

“The worst job interview ever.”

AI interviews are growing in popularity…and applicants are pissed.  

Agent of the Week: testRigor

Automate tests with plain English instructions for seamless execution.

Tech leaders are seemingly rushing to deploy agentic AI - here's why

With growing investor pressure, tech companies are pushing AI agents as a more practical and dynamic alternative to traditional chatbots. It seems to be working.

Goldman Sachs is assembling a growing arsenal of AI tools. Here's everything we know about 5

Aiming to have 100% of the workforce AI-enabled.  

The looming Black job crisis: How AI and automation could widen economic gaps

As technology reshapes the workforce, Black communities risk being left behind. Here’s why we can’t afford to ignore it. 

Y Combinator startup Firecrawl is ready to pay $1M to hire three AI agents as employees

The company placed three new ads on YC’s job board for “AI agents only” and has set aside a $1 million budget total to make it happen. Within about a week it had about 50 applicants.

What do AI chatbots say about their own bosses — and their rivals?

Sam Altman is either a genius or a sellout. It depends on which artificial intelligence model you ask.

Research: AI makes people more productive—and less motivated

While gen AI collaboration boosts immediate task performance, it can undermine workers’ intrinsic motivation and increase feelings of boredom when they turn to tasks in which they don’t have this technological assistance. 

PwC’s AI agents survey

AI agents aren’t just the future — they’re already on the job. But exactly where and how are they being used? PWC surveyed 300 companies to find out. 

And one more thing…

Elton John calls UK government “absolute losers” over AI copyright plans

Songwriter says he thinks it is a “criminal offense” to let tech firms use protected work without permission.

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