"To survive, we must use AI effectively. So, let's just pretend to do so."
The phenomenon of 'AI washing,' where companies exaggerate their use of artificial intelligence, is permeating organizations from top to bottom. Employees are shifting unnecessary tasks to AI to boost their usage scores, while management is using AI as a pretext for layoffs despite a lack of profitability.
According to the IT industry on May 17, Amazon has implemented its internal AI agent platform, 'Mesiclo,' mandating that over 80% of developers use AI tools weekly and tracking individual token consumption on an internal leaderboard.
Tokens represent units of text processed by AI, with higher usage leading to increased consumption. Mesiclo is designed to automate repetitive tasks such as code deployment, email sorting, and Slack message handling. However, some employees have been found engaging in 'token macing,' using AI for tasks that do not require it.
This practice reflects a superficial increase in usage that impacts performance evaluations. Similar cases have been reported at Meta and Microsoft last month.
Research from Gartner, which surveyed 350 executives from global companies with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion, revealed that 80% of firms implementing AI and automation technologies have conducted workforce reductions.
However, most companies that have downsized under the guise of AI have shown low returns on investment (ROI). In contrast, companies performing well are utilizing AI as a tool for productivity enhancement rather than layoffs.
According to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the number of layoffs attributed to AI this year has already reached 49,135, nearing last year's total. In March and April, AI was the leading cause of layoffs.
This situation exemplifies Goodhart's Law, which states that once a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. The pressure to demonstrate 'AI engagement,' whether through token consumption or layoff announcements, prioritizes numerical management over actual performance, highlighting a structural issue.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, pointed out in February that there is a tendency to blame layoffs on AI, a form of AI washing. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, initially claimed that AI would replace half of entry-level white-collar jobs but has since retracted that statement.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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