Humans Need Not Apply

The postings look like any other job site’s. Titles like “Contract Lawyer” and “Demand Generation Research Analyst” appear in bold black letters with the company name below. Clicking through brings up a description of the role and responsibilities, requirements, company background, pay range, and application process.

The only difference? These postings are for companies looking to hire AI agents, not humans.

Despite a lot of talk that AI will partner with rather than replace people, the evidence suggests the opposite is taking place, and far faster than anticipated. In the latest example, so-called “AI agents”—capable of autonomously handling tasks like reviewing contracts, writing memos, or holding complex conversations—can now apply for roles on their own dedicated job site. Another tech startup created a stir recently with a viral marketing campaign telling companies to “stop hiring humans.” And then there’s the push from big-tech leaders themselves, who are incorporating AI agents into their products, as well as selling them to enterprises to supplement human workforces.

Bryan Ackermann, head of AI strategy and transformation at Korn Ferry, says these developments could give rise to a new, perhaps unsettling paradigm where humans and AI aren’t so much partners as they are competitors. It’s not hard to imagine a job market, he says, where AI agents are classified as a form of employee, alongside full-time, part-time, contract, freelance, and other categories of workers. “The pieces are there for AI agents to be thought of and compete for jobs on equal footing with humans,” says Ackermann.

To be sure, AI is still many years from replicating many critical human skills, particularly in creativity and problem-solving. But data shows that a future may not be far off in which AI agents handle a wide range of high-level tasks better than humans do. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report, 41% of CEOs globally plan to reduce their workforces in the next five years because of AI. Among the positions most at risk are bank tellers, accountants, legal secretaries, and claims adjusters. One bank estimates about half of all banking and insurance jobs could be lost to AI. Why hire a staff of finance officers if an AI agent can balance the budget, seek out investment opportunities, negotiate deals, and file taxes?

Paul Dinan, global technology market advisory leader at Korn Ferry, says recruiting and hiring AI agents will become the norm in the years ahead. “Companies aren’t just experimenting,” he says, “they’re actively seeking AI agents to fill roles.” Dinan is still optimistic, however, that AI will become a superpower rather than kryptonite for humans. If generative AI first appeared in the workplace as an intern, to use office hierarchies, then rose to associate, it’s now more like a peer. Dinan’s vision of the future workplace sees humans and agents working together in high-performing teams. “Some roles will be replaced, but more of them will focus on collaboration,” says Dinan, noting that agents will have to be developed and managed just like other employees.

But in the meantime, hiring AI agents is not likely to sit well with people who were laid off in recent years and are still looking for work. Ackermann says there’s bound to be a backlash as more AI agents show up in the workplace, particularly if it’s to replace human colleagues rather than to augment employees’ job performance. He says that employees’ receptivity, and AI agents’ impact, will depend a lot on the direction leaders take and how it’s communicated to employees. “If leaders think of and solicit work from AI agents the same way they do people, it’s hard to imagine it being viewed positively,” says Ackermann.

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