When OpenAI’s ChatGPT launched in 2022, many assumed the AI revolution would take years—perhaps decades—to truly reshape the job market. But recent developments suggest that future has already arrived. From CEOs demanding AI-first hiring policies to data showing sharp drops in white-collar job postings, artificial intelligence is no longer a distant disruptor. It’s happening now—and the impact is accelerating.
The First Signs: CEO Mandates from Shopify and Duolingo
In March 2025, Shopify’s CEO Tobi Lütke issued a new rule to his executives: no hiring requests would be approved unless managers could prove that artificial intelligence couldn’t do the job better. This wasn’t a symbolic gesture. It signaled a real shift in how companies now evaluate workforce needs—AI is the default, and humans must be justified.
Shortly after, Duolingo’s CEO Luis von Ahn made headlines by announcing the company would begin phasing out contractors, replacing them with AI tools to generate educational content. The goal? Faster scaling and cost efficiency. While the quality of content and user experience remains under observation, the decision exemplifies the growing faith leaders have in AI’s immediate capabilities.
AI-Exposed Jobs Are Disappearing
According to analysis by economist Zanele Munyikwa at Revelio Labs, the share of “AI-doable” tasks in online job listings has dropped by 19% over the last three years. Because companies are actively posting fewer jobs that involve work AI can already perform.
The decline is especially sharp in high-exposure roles like:
- Database administrators (69% of tasks deemed AI-doable)
- IT specialists (62.4%)
- Information security (61.8%)
- Auditors (60.7%)
- Data engineers (59.4%)
By contrast, jobs that require a strong in-person presence—like restaurant managers, foremen, and mechanics—remain relatively insulated. These jobs require physical interaction, emotional intelligence, or real-world judgment that current AI cannot easily replicate.
Since November 2022, high-exposure job postings have declined by 31%, while low-exposure roles have fallen by a less severe 25%. Though job listings are down across the board, the trend is clear: AI is already shifting the composition of the labor market, quietly but significantly.
The Freelance Squeeze
In 2023, researchers at Washington University and New York University released one of the first quantifiable studies on AI’s impact on freelance work. They tracked Upwork, one of the largest freelancing platforms, and discovered that freelance jobs in writing, editing, and related fields declined by 2% after ChatGPT’s release. Even more troubling, monthly earnings in those fields dropped by over 5%.
The researchers concluded that generative AI was reducing immediate demand for knowledge workers, especially those in digital-first or creative fields. And these were just the early months.
When AI Replaces Too Much
In 2023, Swedish fintech company Klarna claimed that its AI assistant performed the work of 700 full-time customer service agents. It paused hiring, celebrated the move, and leaned into an AI-first strategy.
But within a year, Klarna reversed course. Quality dropped. Customers noticed. So the company started hiring human agents again, publicly acknowledging that their cost-cutting push had gone too far. CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski stated: “Really investing in the quality of the human support is the way of the future for us.”
Still, even as he re-emphasized the value of human workers, he hinted at further workforce reductions, saying Klarna might eliminate 500 more roles within the next year once AI systems become more reliable.
Conclusion
The AI revolution in the workplace is no longer a hypothetical future. It’s unfolding now. From job postings to executive policies, and from freelance markets to customer support centers, artificial intelligence is reshaping how companies think about people. The outcomes will depend on how thoughtfully leaders use these powerful tools—and how quickly workers adapt to the changing landscape.
Prepared by Navruzakhon Burieva
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