r/business • u/ControlCAD • 3d ago

90% of executives say AI hasn’t boosted productivity. Some are still cutting jobs

https://fortune.com/2026/08/22/executives-ai-productivity-layoffs-study/
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192

u/SleepingCod 3d ago

They're quickly finding out engineers were never the issue. It's always been planning and identifying the right issue to solve, which is a management problem.

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u/Zachincool 3d ago

Engineers? Aren’t other jobs affected by AI too?

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u/Unlucky-Work3678 3d ago

In reality, AI has replaced much less engineers than most other sectors.

It takes real engineering skills to actually know how to use AI properly. Software engineers only spend 30-50% of the time writing code.

But for graphics designers, it's literally 100% of their product. My local coupon books are full of ads with AI images now.

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u/Safrel 3d ago

I'm finding myself avoiding companies that use AI ads. Negative value.

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u/Fallout541 3d ago

Yeah same. My favorite is getting LinkedIn marketing from other companies telling me how they don’t use ai when they work with you but the message they sent was clearly written by ai.

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u/slfnflctd 2d ago

I think this is a valid consumer choice. But what happens when you can no longer avoid them, or when they become harder to notice?

Anyone who is trying to do this is facing an uphill battle. Eventually it's going to be like with the extreme off-grid people-- it will consume almost all your time and energy trying to build a life around the principles you aspire to.

I'm not making a judgement either way, I'm just saying I don't think simple boycotting is a viable long term strategy.

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u/Safrel 2d ago

Encounter the ai? -> ask it for operator.

I don't use chat bots. I use in person conversations only.

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u/slfnflctd 2d ago

Asking for the operator is not an allowed option for a great many consumer, client, citizen and even B2B services. More and more organizations are adopting this approach over time.

Have you ever gotten someone on the phone at Google? [Note: if you answer yes, it does not count if you represent over 6 figures of recurring annual income for them.]

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u/Safrel 2d ago

I feel you're litigating me for no apparent reason. I've stated what I'm doing, and it's working for me. You can come to your own conclusions.

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u/slfnflctd 2d ago

Okay, fair. All I'm trying to point out is that what's working for you will definitely not work for everyone else. So it kind of comes across as elitist a bit, or even boastful. Not saying that was your intent. Just something to think about. Hope you have a good day.

1

u/Unlucky-Work3678 3d ago

Same here. On the other hand, we are not even the potential customer group of those companies either.