You could practically hear the soaring, triumphant anthem playing over a scene of unwashed yet unbowed humans crawling out of hiding as the machines’ ominous hums slowed and the evil tech overlords realized that their reign was ending.
“Ford’s AI Hiccups Lead Carmaker to Rehire ‘Gray Beard” Engineers’ the Bloomberg headline proclaimed.
It was only one company, but the news was received as if winning this battle foretold winning the war.
Sure, other companies, like IBM, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and Klarna, rehired humans after AI-motivated layoffs. But the Ford decision just hit different because of the honesty that accompanied the announcement: “Mistakenly we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that that would produce a high-quality product.”
It’s the honesty, more than the action, that signals a new era emerging.
The fever dream takes hold
Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in November 2022, companies scrambled to “adopt AI” and cram it down employees’ throats in the most striking demonstration of the Red Queen hypothesis since Lewis Carroll penned the words, “Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.”
The past three years saw a lot of running (and spending) with not a lot of progress. MIT reported earlier this year that 95% of AI pilots fail and even published an article titled, “What leaders still get wrong about AI” listing the following;
- Treating AI as something you do, not a tool to get results
- Starting AI projects without a clear path to value
- Getting stuck in pilots instead of scaling
- Overlooking how AI changes the business itself
- Mistaking productivity gains for value
Two months after publication, there are signs that leaders are starting to get things right.
Signs we’re waking up
After spending $2.5-$3T between 2022 and 2025, companies’ approach to AI isn’t going to change overnight. But there are indications that leaders are learning and adopting new strategies for AI adoption and implementation.
Executives are admitting mistakes.
After boldly committing to AI and promising step-changes in efficiency, innovation, and earnings, executives are moderating their tone and even admitting their mistakes:
- “Artificial intelligence is a fantastic tool, but it’s only as good as the information you use to train it.” Charles Poon, VP Vehicle Hardware Engineering , Ford
- We “did not adequately consider all relevant business considerations…we should have been more thorough in our assessment of the roles required.” CBA announcing its reversal of AI-related job cuts
- “Really, investing in the quality of human support is the way of the future for us,” Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO of Klarna, when rehiring 700 customer service agents
Managers are changing who they hire
After years of layoffs, recent analysis indicates that technical jobs aren’t going away. They’re changing what’s required for success.
In a review of 2.85 million job descriptions posted between June 2025 and June 2026, researchers found a dramatic increase in skills related to “judgment, design, and accountability,” and a decrease in skills related to routine work like “boilerplate coding” and manual testing.
Companies are engaging employees
With 70% of large companies monitoring employee AI activity, it’s no surprise that fatigue and anxiety are increasing, trust is plummeting, and employees are resisting.
But in a switch from the authoritarian, top-down, “because I said so” AI implementation model of the past, companies are starting to engage employees as advocates and trainers. Some are going a step further and shifting their approach from “use AI” to “what tools, including AI, do you need to become the professional you aspire to be.”
Slow then fast
Just like waking up from a dream or crawling out of hiding after the apocalypse, the shift from “AI IS EVERYTHING!” to “AI is a tool” will take time. But the process is beginning.