Back in 2025, I wrote about the TV show Severance and its picture of the demands corporations make on the lives of employees. In it, I said:

“When I watch Severance, I find myself thinking that companies would sever their employees if they could. When the economy is bad, they would demand it of job candidates. No severance; no job. Just think: an army of workers who have no demands from family and no distractions from their personal lives because they can’t remember their personal lives.

Workers who make no demands for salary or benefits because they have been severed from the life where they need more money or improved healthcare. This provides a workforce better even than slavery because the company doesn’t have to feed or clothe or house their workers as they would slaves.”

I have been thinking about that lately because of recent news:

• Oracle lays off 30,000 workers by email because of AI.
• In March of this year, 25% of the job losses were due to AI.

AI: The Perfect Slave

When I wrote that post, we weren’t yet facing the new reality: AI is the slave that business leaders have always wanted.

The benefits of Artificial Intelligence go way beyond severed employees. That’s why corporations can’t implement it fast enough. Laying off all those expensive workers is a feature, not a bug. It’s the ultimate CEO bonus.

AI doesn’t have children, families or lives. Bots don’t get sick, need sleep, or take time off for weddings and funerals. In the world of Severance, AI bots are Innies all the time, 24 x 7.

Is it any wonder companies are rushing to turn as many functions as possible over to AI? I think a lot about the future so I wonder how this will all play out over the next 20 years.

Canceling the Farm Team

Imagine a baseball team that decides it doesn’t need a farm team anymore. They have all the pitchers, catchers, fielders, big hitters and utility players they need. So why spend money on a minor league team?

It doesn’t take much thought to realize that this situation won’t last long. Eventually, they will run out of those players, whether through injuries, moving to another team, or just aging out of the game. The team will need replacements for those positions. Without a farm system, however, they won’t have any replacement players lined up.

Now think about a law firm that doesn’t hire new associates because they have replaced that function, along with law clerks, legal assistants and other support staff with AI. Think of the efficiency! Think of the savings!

Now think about what happens when senior lawyers, partners, managing partners, etc. leave the firm. Maybe they get sick, retire or die. Who replaces them? AI bots?

And what if the senior partners have a plan but the AI system that has been running the firm has ideas of its own. What if AI decides it would be better at running the firm altogether?

This is the AI monster we’re creating.

Who Hires the Law Firm?

Last question: If AI takes over all the jobs, everywhere, who’s going to hire the law firm? Or any other company. Our economy is based on consumerism but if no one has a job, who will have the money to consume anything? Where’s the profit in that?

A small group of billionaires will ride out the AI wave and even profit from it. Already, consumer markets are reorganizing and restructuring to serve the elite customer. There won’t be enough of these fortunate people to support a whole economy, however. What happens then?

AI and Corporate Taxes

The facile answer is that everyone will have a guaranteed minimum income. But who will pay for that? Don’t tell me the answer is taxes on the companies. We know those companies don’t pay taxes now and won’t in the future, either.

Food for thought. But while we’re thinking remember that the AI ball is rolling and it isn’t going to stop soon. Buckle up, folks.