If your boss insists you start using AI for your job, should you comply or resist? The truth is, if you have to ask, you might be in trouble no matter what. Take the example of Kevin Cantera from Las Cruces, New Mexico, who willingly embraced AI at work after his company encouraged using ChatGPT. After 17 years loyal to his edutech employer, he was still replaced by a large language model along with dozens of coworkers—despite his boss’s promise that AI wouldn't replace him.
Ironically, Cantera had grown to love using AI as a writer, becoming skilled at crafting prompts that produced accurate outputs he carefully reviewed and edited. He saw the AI as a collaborator that boosted his productivity. But it turned out the AI was also collaborating with his boss to replace him.
Cantera’s story is far from unique. Many bosses worldwide are cutting staff and replacing workers with AI tools, or making survivors use AI to pick up the slack. Some have even boasted about it. Yet this rush to substitute AI for human expertise often backfires, forcing companies to scramble to rehire humans. Research shows that despite AI hype, 95% of companies integrating AI see no real revenue growth, and AI often creates messy workflows that generate more work fixing errors than actual productivity gains.
With many subject-matter experts gone, Cantera fears the company is relying on AI outputs without proper quality checks. So, returning to the question: should you agree to use AI as your boss demands? If replacement is likely no matter what, it might be best to embrace AI on your own terms before that happens.