"Over 160 companies in New York state have filed notices of mass layoffs since last March. None-in a group that includes Amazon, Goldman Sachs, and other employers that are adopting AI tools-attributed their workforce cuts in those filings to "technological innovation or automation." That option was added 11 months ago to a required question on paperwork that businesses with 50 or more employees must file with the state to notify of sizable job losses."
"Over the past couple of years, many companies have celebrated offloading repetitive tasks such as customer service, sales, and accounting to AI systems. But saying that they are dumping human workers in favor of AI agents or robots can risk reputational harm. And economists face challenges tracing layoffs to tech advancements because companies can take decades to fully reorganize around new ways of working."
Over 160 New York companies have filed notices of mass layoffs since last March, and none attributed those cuts to "technological innovation or automation." The AI option was added to WARN paperwork 11 months ago, and the Department of Labor reported no employer had selected tech as the reason by the end of January. Many companies have adopted AI for repetitive tasks, but citing AI can create reputational risk, and economists say firms may take years to reorganize. Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the DOL to add the AI question; employers who choose it must specify the technology. Over 750 notices covering 162 employers and nearly 28,300 workers followed the rollout without any citing AI.
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