AI consultant Elijah Clark said he had laid off employees because of artificial intelligence and had fired 27 of 30 student workers from a sales-enablement team he led.
In a July 2025 Gizmodo interview, Clark described himself as a CEO, said he was 'extremely excited' about AI and added, 'AI doesn't go on strike. It doesn't ask for a pay raise.'
Clark's remarks are more than a year old. But labour-market data released in 2026 shows why the debate over AI-driven job cuts remains active in both Britain and the United States.
Clark Says AI Cut a Week of Work to Hours
Clark told Gizmodo that the 30-person student team had previously taken about a week to produce work that could later be completed in less than a day and, in some cases, less than an hour.
He presented the staffing decision as a question of efficiency. If fewer people using AI could finish the same work more quickly, Clark argued, maintaining the larger workforce made less business sense.
That productivity comparison remains Clark's account. The Gizmodo report did not provide independent performance data showing whether the smaller team delivered the same quality, financial results or overall output.
His experience therefore illustrates how one manager used AI-driven efficiency to justify cutting staff. It does not show that comparable reductions would produce the same results at other organisations.
Nearly Half of Younger Adults Fear AI Could Threaten Their Jobs
Concern about AI and employment is widespread among younger adults in Great Britain.
The Office for National Statistics reported in July 2026 that 47% of adults aged 16 to 29 and 49% of those aged 30 to 49 thought AI could put their jobs at risk. The findings came from its Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, with data collected from 3 to 28 June.
The ONS stressed that the question was asked of all respondents, regardless of whether they were employed. The figures therefore measure people's perceptions of risk rather than confirmed AI-related job losses.
Income was another concern. Some 31% of people aged 16 to 29 and 35% of those aged 30 to 49 thought AI could reduce their income.
Yet the same younger age groups were also the most optimistic about the technology. The ONS found that 47% of 16-to-29-year-olds and 45% of 30-to-49-year-olds believed AI would benefit them.
The results highlight the mixed attitudes surrounding workplace AI. People can expect benefits from the technology while also worrying that automation could reduce demand for some types of work.
AI Was Cited in 116,175 US Job Cuts Through August
In the United States, artificial intelligence remained the leading reason cited in job-cut announcements during the first eight months of 2026, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
US-based employers announced 529,914 cuts through August. AI was cited in 116,175 of them, or about 22% of the total. However, AI fell to the fourth-most cited reason in August alone, accounting for 3,462 announced cuts.
Those numbers do not mean AI directly replaced every affected employee. Challenger tracks cuts announced by employers and the reasons attributed to them. Announced cuts also do not necessarily represent layoffs that have already been completed.
The World Economic Forum's 2025 Future of Jobs Report points to a similarly mixed picture. About 41% of surveyed employers expected to reduce their workforce as AI became capable of replicating more roles.
However, 69% planned to recruit talent skilled in designing or improving AI tools, while 62% expected to hire people with skills to work alongside AI.
AI Skills Are Also Commanding Higher Pay
Demand for AI expertise is rising even as the technology puts pressure on some roles.
PwC's 2026 UK AI Jobs Barometer found that specialist AI job postings jumped 61% in 2025, rising from about 112,000 to 180,000. Workers with AI skills also commanded an average wage premium of 34.2%, up from 11% in 2024.
The figures suggest that AI's impact on employment is not simply a story of disappearing jobs. Some organisations are automating work and reducing staff, while others are paying more for people who can build, manage or work effectively with AI systems.
Clark's comments represent the sharper edge of that shift. His remarks show why some employers see AI as a way to reduce labour costs, while the broader data shows a labour market simultaneously rewarding workers who develop the skills needed to use the technology.
