Did AI Really Take Their Jobs? Or Is This Just Market Theatre?

AI will change jobs. No question. But this “AI is taking everyone’s job” narrative? That’s hype. That’s fluff. That’s market theatre.

I’ve just read an ABC News piece asking:

“Did AI really take their jobs?”

(link in comments 👇)

And if you only read the headline…

you’d think we’re watching the extinction of tech careers in real time.

But read a little deeper, and the cracks start to show.

 - Developers using AI were actually slower (~19%) on tasks

 - Most workers report little to no real productivity gain

 - And there’s still limited evidence of AI-driven job loss at scale

Yet somehow…

AI is being positioned as the reason thousands of people are out of work with many more to go…and the source of heightened job seeker anxiety.

Let’s call this what it looks like.

👉 Overhiring during COVID

👉 Market correction

👉 Cost cutting

Wrapped up neatly in an AI narrative that:

 - Sounds progressive

 - Reassures investors

 - And avoids harder conversations

Because “AI did it” is a much cleaner story than:

“We got our hiring wrong.”

Now, let’s be clear.

AI is going to have a major influence on our careers.

It’s improving fast.

And it needs to be taken seriously.

But…

We’ve got to be careful not to believe every headline or buy into every claim, especially when that narrative is being driven by companies trying to sell the future.

Right now?

There’s a lot of theatre in this conversation.

Here’s why this matters.

Because hype creates fear.

And fear creates hesitation.

And hesitation kills momentum.

From what we see every day at Talentology:

The people struggling right now aren’t losing to AI.

They’re losing to:

 - Invisibility

 - Passive job search

 - Weak networks

 - Outdated strategies

Meanwhile, the people getting traction?

They’re:

👉 Visible

👉 Connected

👉 Consistent

👉 Proactive

They’re not waiting for the market to “settle”.

They’re moving with it.

So yes, read the article

But don’t get swept up in the hype.

Because the real shift isn’t:

“AI is taking your job.”

It’s:

“The market is changing - and the people who adapt fastest will win.”

Let’s take AI seriously.

Just not the theatre around it.

TC 💛