Refusing AI at work: risk of dismissal triples — data from a large-scale study
The labor market in the technology sector is undergoing a tectonic shift. My analysis of fresh data shows a stark correlation: specialists who turn to artificial intelligence less than once a month face a risk of layoffs three times higher than their colleagues who actively use AI. This is not just a statistic—it is a marker of a new reality where adaptability to technology becomes the main factor in career stability.
Numbers That Speak for Themselves
As part of a large-scale survey, the AI usage habits of both laid-off and current employees were analyzed. The results were telling: 62% of those who lost their jobs admitted that they either did not use AI at all or resorted to it no more than once a year. For comparison, among those who retained their positions, this figure is 50%. Meanwhile, 28% of employed individuals stated that they use AI frequently, whereas among the laid-off, only 22% did so. The gap is statistically significant, even when adjusted for age, education, and industry.
Tech Sector in the Crosshairs
The technology sector already shows an elevated level of layoffs: the share of laid-off workers here reaches 13% compared to 6% on average across the market. However, within this group, the difference is particularly dramatic. Employees who ignore AI have been hit three times as hard. This observation confirms that within an industry where automation and optimization are in full swing, rejecting AI becomes a direct path to outplacement. In other sectors, the dependence is less pronounced, but the trend is evident everywhere.
Notably, only 1% of respondents directly attribute their layoff to the introduction of AI, although 21% of those surveyed reported layoffs at the beginning of 2026. This suggests that AI acts not so much as a cause but as an indicator: companies are getting rid of those who are not ready for change.
My expert opinion: The cryptocurrency market and blockchain industry, where the pace of change is extreme, have already gone through this stage. Those who have not integrated AI into their workflows—whether for data analysis, writing smart contracts, or market monitoring—face the same fate. The coming quarters will show how quickly those who ignore the technology will be left behind. Adaptation is not a matter of choice, but a matter of survival.