The AI effect: efficiency versus opportunity

By Victoria Fellows

April 24, 2026

This week’s report on Meta cutting around 8,000 roles — roughly 10% of its workforce — while significantly increasing investment in AI has understandably caught attention.

Particularly notable is the reaction from employees, with reports of the situation being described as dystopian, alongside concerns around increased monitoring and the use of workplace data to train AI systems.

But while the headlines focus on job cuts, they only tell part of the story.

Where teams are being reshaped

Rather than AI simply replacing jobs, the bigger shift is happening inside teams.

As AI tools become more capable, some tasks that previously required multiple people can increasingly be managed by smaller teams, with AI supporting the process. This means certain roles may be reduced, paused or redefined — not always because the work disappears entirely, but because the way it is delivered changes.

This is particularly relevant in larger technology organisations, where even small efficiency gains across big teams can lead to significant changes in headcount, hiring plans and team structure.

While job losses are always difficult, and in many ways expected as AI becomes more widely adopted, this shift also creates an opportunity for people to retrain, adapt and move into the roles that are growing as a result.

The challenge for businesses is not just to reduce costs or improve efficiency, but to think carefully about how they support people through that change — whether that means reskilling existing teams, creating clearer routes into AI-adjacent roles, or helping employees build the capabilities that will be needed next.

The roles most likely to be affected are not defined by job title, but by how much of the work can be automated — with repetitive, process-driven tasks reducing, and strategic, technical and specialist roles growing.

The shift behind the headlines

What we are seeing is not simply job loss — it is a rebalancing of demand.

Companies are not stepping back from hiring. They are becoming more focused on what they hire for and where they invest.

Some roles are being reduced or reshaped, while others are becoming more critical than ever.

What this means for hiring

For businesses, the challenge is no longer just growth — it is alignment.

Do they have the right skills in their teams? Are they investing in the areas that will matter in the next two to three years? Can they attract, retain and retrain the specialist talent needed to stay competitive?

Technology alone is not the differentiator — the people behind it are.