China replaces workers with AI

by Alimat Aliyeva

In China, companies have begun developing digital replacements for dismissed employees using artificial intelligence, AzerNEWS reports.

According to reports, workers are being replaced by AI agents such as Colleague Skill. These systems are trained on a wide range of personal work data, including business correspondence, message screenshots, project files, and internal documentation. As a result, the AI “double” can not only perform tasks but also mimic an employee’s communication style and decision-making patterns.

Many employees have complained that, before being laid off, they were required to document their workflows and explain their decision-making logic in great detail. After their dismissal, these responsibilities were reportedly handed over to AI systems trained on their own input.

According to Bloomberg, a similar trend is emerging in the United States, where technology companies are actively cutting jobs as they adopt artificial intelligence. In March alone, tech-related employers eliminated 18,720 positions—24% more than in March 2025. Since the beginning of the year, total layoffs in the sector have exceeded 52,000.

Experts say this trend marks a new phase in automation, where AI is no longer just assisting workers but directly replacing them. At the same time, it raises serious ethical and legal questions about data ownership, employee rights, and whether workers should be compensated when their knowledge is used to train systems that ultimately take their place.

Interestingly, some analysts believe this shift could lead to the emergence of entirely new professions—such as “AI trainers” and “digital identity managers”—as companies increasingly rely on replicating human expertise in virtual form.