Chief executives, including at Amazon, are warning employees that AI technology could make many workers obsolete, while at the same time urging them to use it regularly.
Why it matters: That's a scary and mixed message, and fear is generally considered to have a bad track record as a management technique, Axios' Emily Peck writes.
At the extremes, managers could actually wind up inhibiting workers from adapting to AI.
Catch up quick: In a post last week, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy offered his thoughts on generative AI. In paragraph 15, he gets to the scary bit: the transformation will likely "reduce our total corporate workforce," he said.
"We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today," Jassy wrote.
Jassy is echoing the message of many other leaders. JPMorgan's consumer chief recently told investors AI would allow for a 10% headcount reduction. Other companies have already blamed AI for layoffs.
Meanwhile, there's a constant barrage of surveys and dark warnings about AI taking jobs.
