A video I watched recently titled “Why Replacing Humans with AI is Going Horribly Wrong” got me thinking. It walked through how major tech companies such as Tesla, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have aggressively tried to replace humans with AI, only to quietly backpedal after realizing the damage it caused.

At one point, the video quotes Elon Musk saying, “Humans are underrated.” That line stood out. It's not just about factory lines or chatbots. It's about how easily we forget that every so-called efficiency gain has a human cost.

When large companies lay off thousands in the name of “AI transformation,” they're not just optimizing budgets. They're shaping the future of work and the lives of the people who built the systems they're now trying to replace.

AI Isn't the Problem, Our Approach Is

The video points out that 55% of businesses that replaced employees with AI regret it and that only 7% of AI initiatives deliver measurable returns.
To me, that's not an argument against technology. It's an argument against haste.

We're in a period where the excitement of innovation sometimes overshadows responsibility. AI should complement human judgment, not replace it. It can automate processes, summarize data, and identify patterns, but it cannot carry accountability, empathy, or context. Those are uniquely human.

When companies ignore that, they risk creating fragile systems that break down the moment something doesn't fit the model. The video even describes how Tesla had to reinstate human workers after automation caused delays and breakdowns. It's a reminder that progress without perspective often collapses under its own ambition.

Advancement Is Inevitable, but Responsibility Is a Choice

Let me be clear: I'm not against advancement. As a technologist, I believe society will continue to move forward, and with that progress will come change. New roles will emerge, old ones will evolve, and yes, some jobs will be displaced. That's the natural rhythm of innovation.

But AI is different. Its reach is broader and its pace is faster, which means we need to be far more mindful about how we integrate it into our world.

I'm fully supportive of AI when it improves our quality of life and productivity. Personally, I welcome it for what I call the mundane tasks—the repetitive, time-consuming work that often keeps us from focusing on what really matters. What I don't want is for AI to take away the things that make work meaningful: creativity, purpose, and the ability to give back through our craft.

I still want to enjoy life, to find fulfillment in solving problems, creating value, and serving others through technology. If that sense of contribution is taken away, then what is the purpose for any of us?

Technology Carries a Social Responsibility

Every decision to replace a person with AI should be treated as a social decision, not just a technical one. As someone who's spent decades building technology systems, I've learned that modernization is most successful when it's steady, deliberate, and human-centered.

The responsibility of leadership-whether in a global company or a small development firm—is to ensure that efficiency never comes at the expense of humanity.
When we treat people as replaceable, we don't just lose skill; we lose context, mentorship, and the culture that holds an organization together.

"Technology should serve society, not restructure it recklessly."

A More Responsible Path Forward

AI will absolutely continue to change the way we work. But we need to stop asking “What can AI replace?” and start asking “What should AI support?”

At WAM DevTech, our approach has always been to fix what's broken quietly—not by replacing people, but by empowering them with better systems.
Automation is powerful when it enhances human capability, not when it erases it.

AI can make us faster, more consistent, and more scalable, but progress isn't defined by what we automate. It's defined by what we preserve.