Layoffs and slow hiring have job seekers worried about AI. Here's what's happening.

A growing chorus of executives has put white collar workforces on notice: Their jobs are at risk of being wiped out by artificial intelligence

A growing chorus of executives has put white collar workforces on notice: Their jobs are at risk of being wiped out by artificial intelligence.

Yet above that din is a more complicated picture of how AI is currently affecting hiring.

Direct evidence of an acceleration in human obsolescence remains scant so far. In a report this week, the job and hiring consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas said cuts spurred by President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency remained the leading cause of job losses — especially for government, nonprofit and other sectors supported by federal funds — followed by general economic and market conditions.

Out of 286,679 planned layoffs so far this year, only 20,000 were linked to automation, the firm said — with just 75 explicitly tied to AI implementation.

“Far less is happening than people imagine,” said Andrew Challenger, senior vice president at the consultancy, referring to the impact of AI on the broader workforce in the U.S. “There are roles that can be significantly changed by AI right now, but I’m not talking to too many HR leaders who say AI is replacing jobs.”