Last week, Bloomberg reported that over the past three years, Ford re-hired hundreds of veteran engineers to address quality issues that automation systems could not resolve. "Artificial intelligence is a great tool, but it is only as good as the information you use to train it," said Charles Poon, Ford's vice president of hardware engineering.

Workers inside a Ford factory in Michigan, United States, 1/2022. Photo: Reuters

This trend of re-evaluating AI's role in workforce management extends beyond Ford. Many other businesses have adjusted their recruitment plans to focus more on human resources, including Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and software giant IBM.

CBA, for instance, experienced challenges after replacing human staff with AI. Last year, the bank cut over 40 customer service staff, replacing them with AI voice bots. However, this system could not handle the workload, leading to an increase in call volume and forcing the bank to reverse its staff reductions. "This is a huge victory," stated Australia's finance industry union.

In 8/2025, CBA admitted to ABC that they "had not fully considered all relevant business factors" when announcing their staff reduction plans. They acknowledged, "We should have evaluated the necessary positions more thoroughly."

Similarly, IBM faced limitations with its AI implementation. The company uses an AI system for its human resources department, capable of handling approximately 94% of routine requests. However, this system cannot resolve the remaining 6%, which includes situations involving ethics.

Recognizing the need for a sustained human workforce, IBM plans to triple the recruitment of new entry-level workers in the United States this year. "If we don't continue to hire new people, what will happen in the next three to five years? There will be no successor workforce," said IBM Chief Human Resources Officer Nickle LaMoreaux at the Charter AI Summit in New York in February.

These examples reflect the view of many analysts, who argue that reducing employees to increase AI use is not necessarily the best way to achieve growth. A report from Intuition Labs noted, "Allocating budgets towards 'using technology to replace humans' without training or upskilling will leave employees unprepared to leverage AI. Many businesses that accelerated automation later regretted layoffs, as they cut the very personnel needed to oversee AI."

Further supporting this sentiment, a report by analytics software firm Orgvue found that 39% of surveyed business leaders reduced staff to implement AI. Among these, a significant 55% admitted that decision was a mistake.

The limitations of AI often necessitate human intervention, leading to inefficiencies. "When AI output is inconsistent, inaccurate, or difficult to apply in practice, businesses often have to bring humans back for supervision. This can lead to duplicated work, slower decision-making processes, and undermine the productivity benefits that AI offers," said Jessica Zhang, Senior Vice President for Asia-Pacific at HR solutions company ADP.

The trend of re-hiring after AI-driven layoffs is becoming increasingly common. Recruitment platform Robert Half reported that 32% of hiring managers in the United States revealed they had eliminated a job due to AI, only to re-hire for that same position or a similar one later.

Ultimately, the consensus among experts is shifting towards a collaborative approach. "AI is changing the work environment. However, businesses are also increasingly recognizing that building a collaborative model between humans and AI will bring more value than complete replacement," concluded Capitol Technology University.

Ha Thu (according to CNBC)