<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At least 23,000 jobs have already been lost this year, and experts say more could come, as </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/artificial-intelligence" rel="" target="_blank" title="artificial intelligence"><span>artificial intelligence</span></a><span> sweeps tech companies.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/atlassian-job-losses-aussie-software-company-blames-ai-cutting-1600-jobs/e45e3983-1e46-4430-b699-031a4b7c6c9f" rel="" target="_blank" title="Atlassian is the latest to announce plans to lay off 1600 workers"><span>Atlassian is the latest to announce plans to lay off 1600 workers</span></a><span>, 10 per cent of its global staff, to restructure the business around an increased use of AI.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It would be disingenuous to pretend AI doesn't change the mix of skills we need or the number of roles required in certain areas. It does," founder Mike Cannon-Brookes said in a statement earlier this week.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-iran-war-donald-trump-sends-2500-more-marines-as-conflict-enters-third-week/c91f61a6-1930-4dbb-ad2e-e4724fb2a93b" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Iran directly threatens neighbouring country for first time in three week war</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national" rel="" target="_blank" title="Australian "><span>Australian</span></a><span> software giant is one of the growing number of tech companies slashing their global workforces in a move towards greater AI integration.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>About </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/amazon-job-cuts-employees-streamline-operations-ai/5edcf236-ea2a-4d44-89da-328223ed81c3" rel="" target="_blank" title="16,000 jobs have been cut at Amazon"><span>16,000 jobs have been cut at Amazon</span></a><span>, 2000 at WiseTech, 1600 at Meta, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/block-square-afterpay-cash-app-job-cuts-jack-dorsey/a7216538-7d78-4c61-831d-6d023116213f" rel="" target="" title="4000 at Block"><span>4000 at Block</span></a><span>, 1000 at Salesforce, 800 at eBay and 780 at Pinterest so far this year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While not all companies attributed their decision to AI, several had similar things to say. </span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/artificial-intelligence-tech-sector-lay-offs/dde93ab8-0c9d-409e-ae1f-3d39c0e1ec40" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Something has changed. We're already seeing that the intelligence tools we're creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working which fundamentally changes what it means to build and run a company," </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/block-square-afterpay-cash-app-job-cuts-jack-dorsey/a7216538-7d78-4c61-831d-6d023116213f" rel="" target="_blank" title="Block co-founder Jack Dorsey said"><span>Block co-founder Jack Dorsey said</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I am prepared to say this clearly: the era of manually writing code as the core act of engineering is over," WiseTech chief executive Zubin Appoo said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"AI amplifies the productivity of our expertise in logistics and trade, the rich datasets that WiseTech holds, and the network advantage that we have built over 30 years."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Their comments suggest there is a serious structural shift happening in the global workforce, and some experts agree.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-deploys-thousands-of-marines-to-middle-east-iran-war-latest-news/9414ce9f-06e4-42a6-8dd2-790aa96c7092" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Iran war will end 'when I feel it in my bones', says Trump</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world" rel="" target="_blank" title="World "><span>World</span></a><span> Economic Forum this year declared that the "AI-driven workforce is here".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Its latest Future of Jobs report found 92 million jobs may be eliminated and 170 million new ones created by 2030 due to AI and other technological advancements.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"These trends are expected to have a divergent effect on jobs, driving both the fastest-growing and fastest-declining roles, and fueling demand for technology-related skills, including AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity and technological literacy, which are anticipated to be the top three fastest- growing skills," the report said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As tech companies rapidly move to adopt the new technology, UNSW AI Institute director Sue Keay said they are struggling to compete with their native AI rivals.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She added that the layoffs are more nuanced than just simply AI replacing their roles.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"For software companies, they have to be able to demonstrate how they can compete with new AI companies who may be able to do similar work, but with fewer people, and that's putting a lot of pressure on their existing business models," she said. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"So until those companies can demonstrate how they can create new value from artificial intelligence, it's going to be very challenging, and we'll probably see more job losses."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/does-australia-have-another-petrol-would-we-run-out-of-fuel-oil-supply-iran-war-news/1f4af25b-2f5a-43d3-8a83-dcc919e12e28" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Will the pumps run dry? How the war in Iran is impacting Australia's oil supply</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The tech sector routinely adopts new technology, according to USYD digital innovation and ethics senior lecturer Raffaele Ciriello.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He said people are being laid off because companies have overestimated the power of AI. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The tech sector always operates on promises to the future. Always. This has been the case for the last 20 years," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There's this promise that this new shiny technology is going to be the next big thing, and it's going to change everything. These days, it's AI; earlier, it used to be blockchain.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"What that means is that the tech sector needs to operate on venture capital and on expected profits, which may or may not materialise.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"And in this case, AI is not delivering on the expectations. That has been enormously inflated."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>