Authored by Autumn Spredemann via The Epoch Times,
The artificial intelligence revolution may not be eliminating human jobs as quickly as some feared. Rising computing costs, operational headaches, and inconsistent results are prompting some companies to change course and bring workers back.
It’s a hard lesson learned in the throes of the early AI boom, in which bold claims of big savings have enticed many businesses to downsize their staff.
Many industry professionals now say that roles requiring sound judgment, creativity, customer interaction, and quality control need to keep humans in the driver’s seat.
A Careerminds survey of 600 human resources professionals who'd made layoffs in the previous 12 months revealed that nine out of 10 companies would rethink their AI-related terminations.
Three out of four human resources professionals who took the survey confirmed that their organization sacked employees because of technological advancements that replaced roles and responsibilities.
But only 8.4 percent of the survey pool said AI delivered the promised results.
“Over the past 12 months, we have seen a noticeable uptick in companies coming to us after pausing or scaling back AI tool rollouts,” James Calloway, chief operating officer at Stealth Agents, told The Epoch Times.
Calloway’s company provides executive-level virtual assistants, an area where the cost difference between human workers and AI agents is stark.
“One e-commerce client had budgeted for an AI customer service implementation and found the licensing, integration, and ongoing prompt engineering costs were two to three times their original estimate,” he said.
“They hired two of our [human virtual assistants] instead and cut their per-ticket resolution cost by nearly 40 [percent].
“Human employees remain more cost-effective in client-facing communications that require empathy and judgment, tasks that require reading between the lines of what a customer actually needs, work involving proprietary context that cannot safely be fed into third-party AI systems, and any workflow where a mistake has real reputational or legal consequences.”
Big tech companies have also found this to be true. In April, Bryan Catanzaro, vice president of applied deep learning research at Nvidia, told Axios, “For my team, the cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees.”
Nickle LaMoreaux, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at IBM, argued that augmenting roles with AI is more essential to corporate growth than replacing human talent entirely, during a Wall Street Journal Leadership Institute summit in March.
LaMoreaux’s comments followed just weeks after IBM announced plans to triple its entry-level hires. When asked why so many companies aren’t taking a similar approach, he said, “It’s because they’re in this productivity mindset versus the growth mindset.”
A BCG analysis predicted that 50 percent to 55 percent of all jobs in the United States will be “reshaped” by AI within the next couple of years.
Visitors crowd an IBM exhibition stand at the 2026 Hannover Messe industrial trade fair in Hanover, Germany, on April 20, 2026. This year's trade fair included an increased emphasis on industrial AI. Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Unforeseen ExpensesJon Hill, CEO of The Energists, said there’s a misconception that generative AI is just “software with a subscription fee.” He has personally witnessed how AI buyer’s remorse can lead to staff rehires.
“Many of our clients aggressively pursued generative AI initiatives, thinking they would reduce labor costs,” Hill told The Epoch Times, “but we’re increasingly seeing those clients circling back to human employees after discovering the real-world costs of AI systems.”
Hill gave the example of one company that he worked with that planned to automate some of its compliance reporting and technical support. The company found that while the projected savings initially looked promising, those gains evaporated when taking into account the costs of cybersecurity, human oversight, and application programming interface usage.
The client chose to pause AI deployment because “human staff provided more predictable output at a lower long-term cost,” he said.
Hill said there are multiple costs that organizations can overlook. Cloud compute costs alone can be “a six- to seven-figure annual expense,” depending on usage, Hill said.
People visit an AI data center at SK Networks during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on March 3, 2025. A February survey of human resources professionals revealed that nine out of 10 companies would rethink AI-related terminations. Manaure Quinter/AFP via Getty Images
Matt Baharav, CEO of MKB Media Solutions, told The Epoch Times that the AI content assistant his team implemented ended up being both costly and inefficient.
“Last quarter, we decided to stop utilizing an [AI] automated content assistant for our outreach pitches. We realized the software was ineffective,” Baharav told The Epoch Times.
“The company we hired and paid thousands per month charged us licensing costs, as well as had my team spend countless hours rewriting generic paragraphs created by their tool.”
In this photo illustration, a screen shows the Deepseek app in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 31, 2026. After the rapid rise of AI implementation in industrial settings, a growing number of businesses are bringing human workers back to the workplace. Oleksii Pydsosonnii/The Epoch Times
Baharav said he learned that “a good writer is less expensive than an expensive automated content assistant” when it comes to complex communications.
“We eliminated the software altogether and transferred the funds back into hiring competent, sharp writers,” he said.
Tech spending tracker Mavvrik, in its 2025 State of AI Cost Management report, observed that 80 percent to 85 percent of companies missed their AI infrastructure forecasts by more than 25 percent, while 84 percent reported “significant gross margin erosion” because of miscalculated AI costs.
The offices of Amazon Germany's new headquarters in Munich are pictured on April 16, 2026. The retail giant laid off 16,000 workers in January in its latest round of cuts, part of a multi-year wave of layoffs driven in part by the company's adoption of artificial intelligence. AFP via Getty Images
Luxury ComponentMarcus Mossberger, chief market strategy officer at workforce intelligence platform LYTIQS, said he believes that AI could have its own niche within the workforce, so long as it’s not a situation that would be better served by human judgment.
“HR is a great example where AI can be used to field transaction questions like ‘what is the deductible on my health insurance plan,’ but not for more intimate requests, like ‘what should I do about a co-worker who is making me uncomfortable?’” Mossberger said.
He said some companies are likely to “over-rotate” toward AI and learn a hard lesson, but he thinks that there could be bigger consequences for companies than just having to hire new talent.
“I actually believe the biggest hidden ‘expense’ associated with implementing generative AI has been the disruption of trust between employee and employer. And let’s face it, this wasn’t exactly an area of strength to begin with,” Mossberger said.
A Microsoft AI booth is shown during the AI+Expo Special Competitive Studies Project in Washington on June 2, 2025. Many companies are feeling buyer's remorse, hiring industry insiders say, as they find that the cost of AI implementation is higher than anticipated. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
He pointed out that hard-working Americans are watching employers invest billions in AI infrastructure while laying off their co-workers and being asked to help train their own AI replacement.
“If you think these same individuals are giving you discretionary effort and taking innovative risks to improve your organization, you are badly mistaken,” Mossberger said.
He predicts that this will necessitate a need for companies to rebuild trust in their brand while training new hires. Mossberger said he thinks that many of the people laid off during the early days of the AI gold rush may refuse to come back.
The practice of a worker returning to the same company that initially laid them off has come to be known as a “boomerang employee.”
For Baharav, the decision to prioritize human talent has definitely paid off. “To date, we have actually ended up saving money,” he said.
Tyler Durden Tue, 06/30/2026 - 07:20Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in a talk before reporters Monday ripped the Trump administration, blaming the US for giving into Iran's demands that a peace framework incorporate the Lebanon front.
Trump "exerted pressure" on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu within several telephone calls "in the run-up to the signing of the memorandum of understanding" - and ultimately prevented Israel from disarming and destroying Hezbollah, he asserted.
Katz expressed "regret" at the US linking up Iran and Lebanon, saying: "The connection between the Iran and Lebanon fronts is an American interest; if there had been no connection between the fronts, Hezbollah would have collapsed."
Israeli Defense MinistryKatz suggested the Israeli army was then forced to go to a "Plan B," which he outlined as "pushing deeper into the 'Yellow Line' zone in southern Lebanon" - which extends nearly 10 kilometers into Lebanon, and mainly constitutes what the IDF currently occupies.
The Times of Israel bluntly put it as follows:
Briefing reporters, Katz claimed that had it not been for American pressure on Israel, the IDF would have caused Hezbollah's collapse in Lebanon. He said the IDF had planned a “massive” aerial campaign that, he claimed, “would have dismantled Hezbollah,” and that the terror group was “begging the Iranians to save it.”
The defense minister blamed US President Donald Trump’s linking of the US-Iran talks with Lebanon for preventing Israel from doing so. According to Katz, when Trump “linked Iran and Lebanon,” Israel had to stop “bringing down buildings in Beirut,” but could carry out “surgical strikes” on Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital.
Katz emphasized, "I’m sorry about that linkage, but it was an American interest. They very much wanted to advance the possibility of negotiations with Iran."
He also noted of recently strained US-Israeli relations, "when you enter into a partnership, it has advantages, but it also comes with certain constraints."
"People should not hold their breath wondering where the next place will be from which Israel will withdraw in Lebanon, because it will not happen until Hezbollah is disarmed. We have no territorial ambitions in Lebanon, but until Hezbollah is disarmed, we will not withdraw a millimeter," Katz added.
He also said, "When it comes to defending ourselves, there are no compromises, not in Lebanon and not in Iran."
The defense chief then made clear that Israel is preparing to go it alone regarding Iran if need be:
"If Iran attacks, that is the third Iran war. The situation is very clear. There is no reality in which Israel will allow missile fire at its territory without responding with force. It could happen within two days. My directive to the IDF is to prepare for a blue-and-white operation in Iran."
🚨Three remarkable comments from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz today:
On the reported plan to topple the Iranian regime, originally prepared under former Mossad chief David Barnea:
"There were external actors who were supposed to join, but they did not allow it to…
The "blue-and-white" label is apparent reference to taking the war to Iran, but without external Washington help. However, it's also clear that the Iranians have in the past been able to inflict serious damage on Israel, even when it did have active and significant US military support.
The defense minister also again admitted that Israeli intelligence has had assets inside Iran all along, but that these ground elements were prevented from orchestrating full regime change in the Islamic Republic.
Tyler Durden Tue, 06/30/2026 - 06:55Germany’s Verena Brunschweiger, a self-described “radical feminist,” is promoting the slogan: “My lineage ends with me.” She says she hopes to encourage people, especially White people, to stop having children.
She claims that Western pro-natalists only want to “control women, and keep refugees out.”
The article on her views, from Australian broadcaster news.com.au, is entitled: “‘My bloodline ends with me’: Why feminist ‘childfree icon’ wants fewer ‘white babies’ and more refugees”
The report quoted her as saying: “We have a proud slogan, ‘My bloodline ends with me.’ I think this is a responsible choice.”
Brunschweiger said that Europeans are to blame for the poor quality of life in Africa, and she would invite the entire world to Europe.
🇩🇪German feminist Verena Brunschweiger promotes the slogan “My lineage ends with me.”
She calls for people, especially White people, to stop having children.
She claims that Western pro-natalists only want to “control women, and keep refugees out."
Brunschweiger said that… pic.twitter.com/8DGwDdQkQU
“So I would take all immigrants and refugees in because we ruined the world, so to speak.”
“We produce the climate change which makes life in Africa, for instance, miserable and horrible. So of course, why not invite [them] if they want to come?”
She said that in her home country, “populist nonsense” is being promoted by the German party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
In einem neuen Interview verkündet die kinderlose Verena Brunschweiger stolz, dass ihre Blutlinie mit ihr endet und das sei die verantwortungsvolle Entscheidung. Sie fordert weniger ‚weiße Babys‘ im Westen und attackiert Elon Musk sowie alle, die mehr Nachwuchs wollen, um die… pic.twitter.com/5Y7q3rpb2g
— Lexa 🇩🇪 (@rebew_lexa) June 29, 2026She claimed the party wants Germans to have more babies so “they can say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, dear refugees, go back and drown or die or starve or whatever, because we have so many of our own people and we have to care for them first.”
“They say we need our own kids because German white kids are better than other kids who immigrate into the country,” she added.
“All the white people go, ‘Wouldn’t it be so horrible if we lost the white people, the white majority?’ They always want white women to have more babies to in order to be able to say, ‘Oh, stay the way we are, we are already full,'” she added.
She says Western countries have a moral duty to accept refugees.
“Because we produce all the climate change and all those things which make them leave [their] country,” she said.
Despite immigrants producing children at a much higher rate than White people, especially African migrants, she dismisses any argument against restricting immigration.
She said that she “of course” targets Whites specifically to stop having children.
“My focus, and that’s what drives the AfD nuts, is we have to cut back our numbers,” she said.
Tyler Durden Tue, 06/30/2026 - 06:30* * *
Iran Intends to Administer Strait With or Without OmanA couple of late Monday statements, including a declaration by Tehran that it is ready to implement its Hormuz Strait passage protocol with or without Oman:
Earlier Monday a White House official said the Witkoff-Kushner delegation was en route to Qatar for Iran talks, but it's looking like Tehran will give the US a cold shoulder. Iran state Tasnim is citing Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who says:
"We will not hold any negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days," directly contradicting prior reports coming out of Washington.
Bloomberg is also confirming the new statement out of the Iranian side. President Trump himself early Monday morning stated on Truth Social: "Iran has requested a meeting. It will take place tomorrow in Doha." Also Fars has separately stated within the last hours:
"No nuclear negotiations have been held with the US so far, and there will be no negotiations on nuclear issues until Iran's conditions are met."
More latest:
IRAN SAYS DELEGATION WILL VISIT QATAR BUT RULES OUT US TALKS
So it seems Witkoff and Kushner will merely meet with Qatari and Pakistani mediators? It remains an open question whether the Iranians will be present in Doha at all. It could be Tehran is issuing the contradictory messaging in order to keep leverage and pressure up, or else to try and humiliate the White House. The Islamic Republic has been warning that more US military action against Iranian territory and in the Hormuz Strait could result in Iran walking away from the negotiating process altogether.
Witkoff-Kushner Delegation En Route to Qatar, Iran MumBloomberg reports Monday that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet with Qatar's prime minister on Tuesday to discuss the talks with Iran, also citing Axios which spoke to a White House official. Will the Iranians actually be there?
So it seems the US delegation is in motion, even as Tehran has as yet offered no concrete public confirmation that an Iranian high level team is in route.
Qatar Halts Maritime Activity due to Unravelling Security SituationA big move from Qatar to halt almost all shipping in its maritime territory on Monday:
Qatar has recommended a temporary halt to shipping and some maritime activities in the country until further notice, without providing a reason. The Qatari Ministry of Transport said the precautionary measure includes recreational and fishing boats, jet skis and other vessels. Although no reason was given for the unusual step, the decision was made after Doha announced last night that a Qatari citizen was killed by shrapnel hitting a vessel due to 'military operations in the area,' but did not provide further details.
The Qatari MOT suspends all maritime activities until further notice. https://t.co/FjXvico7QB
— barry with the NED (@bonzerbarry) June 29, 2026Bloomberg reported earlier in the day: Just a handful of vessels made open transits over the weekend in the strait.
Trump: Talks Continue Tuesday in DohaAfter some persisting Sunday reports, including in The Wall Street Journal, said that last week's renewed tit-for-tat fighting between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz had 'stalled' the next round of talks, President Trump stated on Truth Social Monday that a meeting on Iran would be held in Doha Tuesday. He stipulated that Iran has requested the talks.
"Iran has requested a meeting. It will take place tomorrow in Doha," Trump wrote on his social media platform in all caps. Axios reported late Sunday, citing a senior US official, that "We decided to stop all the kinetic activity" and make way for renewed talks.
NBC notes in the immediate aftermath of the statement, "There was no immediate reaction from Tehran. Hours earlier, a senior Iranian official denied any technical discussions were scheduled to take place."
"Technical teams working on the implementation of the initial agreement between the two sides are scheduled to meet in Doha in the coming days, a source with knowledge of the talks," the report continues.
Growing Tit-for-Tat Strikes Clouding TalksAbbas Aslani from the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies has contextualized, "In the past few days the two sides have been flexing their muscles on this strategic issue – meaning the Strait of Hormuz, which is a leverage for Iran that can create a balance in the negotiations with the United States." He added: "This has been clouding the atmosphere of the talks. The Iranian senior negotiator said they are not expecting those technical talks to be held this week."
As for how this may or may not impact vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of the MoU deal signing, and start of Switzerland technical talks earlier this month, Bloomberg reports that "Commercial shipping continued to move through the Strait of Hormuz at a reduced level after recent attacks on two vessels. A handful of vessels made open transits over the weekend, according to tracking data."
Last Friday into the weekend saw the escalatory spiral go into overdrive, as red lines continue to be tested. By early Sunday morning, both Bahrain and Kuwait came under direct Iranian attacks. The strikes came just hours after the Pentagon proudly announced it had pounded multiple targets inside Iran - a move Washington characterized as "retaliation" for Tehran's continued harassment of commercial shipping lanes.
A short time before Trump's latest Truth Social post proclaiming Doha talks set for Tuesday...
Iran denies reports of scheduled technical talks with US in Doha
——
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated on Monday that “no technical talks” with the US are scheduled this week in the Qatari capital Doha, refuting recent western media assertions. IRNA reports… pic.twitter.com/pvAY6tYjxS
Tehran is now threatening a "complete halt" to all diplomatic negotiations, despite that Trump has been signaling that the gloves are completely off if things spill over into next year: "There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started," he had said Saturday.
But then Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday, "Any interference in this matter and any attempt to adopt new or separate arrangements compared to what is underway by Iran will only lead to more complicated situations and delays in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and will fuel tensions." But for now, at least the two sides have 'agreed' to halt strikes, it was widely reported Sunday evening.
Overnight, Weekend Latest Developmentsvia Newsquawk...