After the wave of layoffs: The surprising change of direction of tech giants

For months, major companies in the United States claimed that artificial intelligence (AI) would allow them to reduce the number of employees and increase efficiency. Many companies froze hiring, laid off thousands of workers, and declared that AI would be able to perform a significant portion of the tasks previously performed by humans.

Illustration | Created using artificial intelligence

However, a turnaround is now emerging. In conversations with investors and in recent financial reports, leading companies, including Alphabet (the parent company of Google), the railway giant CSX, and the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, announced that they plan to increase their workforce to meet demand and continue to grow.

According to company executives, the experience gained in recent months has proven that artificial intelligence is a significant tool, but it cannot replace employees in many areas.

"Just because there are AI agents that write code does not mean you don't need engineers," said Sarah Franklin, CEO of the human resources company Lattice.

The change is not limited to the technology sector. Companies in the fields of transportation, industry, and services have also announced that they are returning to hiring employees, mainly for roles considered essential for the growth of business activity and the development of new areas such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Alongside the hiring trend, experts emphasize that it is still too early to determine how artificial intelligence will affect the labor market in the long term. Nevertheless, the message emerging from recent reports is clear: instead of completely replacing employees, more and more companies are realizing that the future lies in the combination of artificial intelligence and skilled personnel.