One signal

BMW is planning to use artificial intelligence to help eliminate a fifth of its management roles by the middle of next year, Bloomberg reports. The plan is part of an agreed buyout programme intended to cut costs and improve profitability.

Why it matters

That makes this more than an abstract promise of workplace automation: the company’s reported target is a substantial reduction in management jobs, with a deadline. The report does not say how many roles are involved or exactly what AI systems BMW plans to deploy. The important question is how much of the reduction AI will actually drive, rather than simply accompany a wider cost-cutting push.

Discuss: When companies link AI to job cuts, should they have to disclose what work the technology will take over?

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