Andrew Huff published an interesting infographic, which is provided below. It piqued my interest in what he has to say about the job market and AI’s influence on it.
Here is a quote from his X feed. “AI was going to replace you. Then the invoices arrived. The jobs panic, mapped onto Gartner’s hype cycle: hype → “replace everyone” → ROI no-shows. Per-token cost fell ~280x; total AI spend still soaring. ~50% of AI layoffs are projected to reverse by 2027. Humans still run the machines.”
Given all that is happening in the job market, this is interesting information backup by some sound, reasonable thinking. We have gone through the whole “AI is going to replace you” and moved on into the trough of disillusionment and are probably riding the slope of enlightenment now. So, is this good news or bad news for workers? I think means good news.
As many struggle to figure out what to do with AI, or even how to approach it, I found the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business course on AI and Business to be very enlightening. During the course the school conducted interviews with several industry leaders from very well-known firms, technology and others and most had the same input. AI will not replace workers; it will still need humans to guide it and run it. It will still need the human skill sets that have been developed over years of industry work, no matter what field they come from!
Take for example my field, cyber-security. AI can help, it can speed up triage, evidence gathering and response efforts, but it can not replace the human in the loop element! It needs a human eye and mind to review its (AIs) work and ensure that there are no errors or ‘hallucinations.” This stands true across industry fields. Oh, certainly, how jobs are done will change with the addition of AI, but the human will be necessary.
Just look at the infographic carefully. Many industries fired large numbers of workers in the wrong belief that AI would simply replace them and now as the reality sets in they are having to re-hire those workers. AI just cannot fill a human’s place. The over 124 K tech cuts in 2025 went too far all due to industry leaders not fully understanding AI, its capabilities, its use cases and the still present need for human beings.
Now, this doesn’t mean you do not need to learn AI. Learn how to use it to the best of your ability and knowledge. Use it to enhance your skill set, to provide value to your industry or field. In order to use any tool correctly you must understand the basic principles of how it works and AI is just another tool to learn. It is not really “artificial intelligence” it is still just an advanced algorithmic analysis machine, that needs fingers on the keyboard to guide it along.
Keep this term in mind, whether you are an employee or a manager of a business, “AI augments, it does not replace.” That will provide some much-needed guidance moving forward.
Carpe Diem!
Sources: x.com/AGHuff
Risk Factor – Dr. Andrew G. Huff on Substack
And the sources in the infographic
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