{"id":735385,"date":"2026-06-25T07:40:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T04:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stop-trying-to-replace-people-with-ai\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T07:40:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T04:40:29","slug":"stop-trying-to-replace-people-with-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stop-trying-to-replace-people-with-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop trying to replace people with AI"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d28b190d62\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d28b190d62\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stop-trying-to-replace-people-with-ai\/#Fear-based_AI_positioning_grabs_attention_but_it_can_undermine_trust_Heres_why_augmentation_is_a_stronger_long-term_marketing_strategy\" >Fear-based AI positioning grabs attention, but it can undermine trust. Here&#8217;s why augmentation is a stronger long-term marketing strategy.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stop-trying-to-replace-people-with-ai\/#AI_is_just_not_there%E2%80%A6_yet\" >AI is just not there\u2026 yet.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stop-trying-to-replace-people-with-ai\/#Antagonism\" >Antagonism<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stop-trying-to-replace-people-with-ai\/#What_is_the_replacement_for_%E2%80%98replacement\" >What is the replacement for \u2018replacement\u2019?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stop-trying-to-replace-people-with-ai\/#Premium_Your_positioning_matters_more_than_ever_Claude_skill\" >Premium: Your positioning matters more than ever + Claude skill<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stop-trying-to-replace-people-with-ai\/#Topics_on_this_page\" >Topics on this page<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fear-based_AI_positioning_grabs_attention_but_it_can_undermine_trust_Heres_why_augmentation_is_a_stronger_long-term_marketing_strategy\"><\/span>Fear-based AI positioning grabs attention, but it can undermine trust. Here&#8217;s why augmentation is a stronger long-term marketing strategy.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\n<p>The biggest positioning mistake in AI marketing is selling your product as a replacement for people. It wins attention now, but costs you trust later.<\/p>\n<p>Heads up: This memo is a slight deviation from the usual topics I regularly write about. But it\u2019s an important one.<\/p>\n<p>In this memo:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Why \u201csubstitution positioning\u201d feels good short term and decays your brand long term.<\/li>\n<li>The data showing AI isn\u2019t actually replacing people.<\/li>\n<li>How to better position AI.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/about:blank\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\" style=\"border: 0; background: transparent\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" data-rocket-lazyload=\"fitvidscompatible\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.growth-memo.com\/embed?transparent=1\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.growth-memo.com\/embed?transparent=1\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\" style=\"border: 0; background: transparent\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p><strong>The cardinal sin of positioning in the AI era is replacement<\/strong>. I call it \u201csubstitution positioning.\u201d Short term, it\u2019s yummy. Long term, it plants cavities in your perception.<\/p>\n<p>In January, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/anthropic-ceo-predicts-ai-models-233113047.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAN0azGgCS_1I9zXbJ8zvCmUxo_l-SAqW8Qz5Cf24lfdf636gdiIYnk-h-S0mEC3b42e33bnwZ1fIuBDN1WQf0BW3Qvu7IVrJpGGYFZ-XKq3v3lGZEYsElkTemVAMzY1Zg4dH-m_5s8oWSzpzhvjimOypBaz8h8--0zhGVJ-crJM1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">predicted<\/a> software engineering jobs to go away in the following 6-12 months. Demand for software engineers is reaching new heights today.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cI think we might be 6 to 12 months away from when the model is doing most, maybe all of what SWEs do end to end.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" http: alt=\"Image 201\" class=\"wp-image-480870\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-201.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-201.png\" alt=\"Image 201\" class=\"wp-image-480870\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In September 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/sam-altman-says-ai-will-speed-up-job-turnover-hit-service-roles-first-2025-9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">predicted<\/a> customer support jobs will go away. Almost im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely after he said that, customer service hiring started outpacing the broader job market.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI\u2019m confident that a lot of current <strong>customer support <\/strong>that h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ens over a phone or computer, <strong>those people will lose their jobs<\/strong>, and that\u2019ll be better done by an AI.\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" http: alt=\"Image 203\" class=\"wp-image-480872\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-203.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-203.png\" alt=\"Image 203\" class=\"wp-image-480872\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>AI companies use fear as a marketing tool. Specifically, the fear of being replaced. They got me, too. I was deeply worried about my future when Opus 4.5 got traction.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, as long as I see that even Anthropic is hiring copywriters and SEOs, I sleep much better.<\/p>\n<p>Times were more uncertain before AI came on the scene (I\u2019ll spare you the TED talk about unprecedented times). Fear sells. Tapping into our primal fight-or-flight response is a sure way to get attention. And layoffs act as a double agent in this environment: They make companies that underperform or overhired look good (\u201cLook, we don\u2019t need as many people anymore because we\u2019re so innovative!\u201d) and feed the substitution positioning narrative.<\/p>\n<p>But the facts show that recent layoffs are closer to AI washing than AI spring cleaning:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>New York state added an option for companies to indicate when they lay staff off due to AI (technological innovation or automation). In March of this year, over 160 companies filed mass layoffs of ~28,300 workers. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/no-company-has-admitted-to-replacing-workers-with-ai-in-new-york\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Not even one<\/a> chose AI as the reason. That list includes Amazon and Goldman Sachs.<\/li>\n<li>Researchers at Yale looked at the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/cps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CPS<\/a>, a government survey that tracks employment across the US, over the last 33 months and found <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/budgetlab.yale.edu\/research\/evaluating-impact-ai-labor-market-current-state-affairs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">no evidence of job displacement from AI<\/a>. The way AI impact works looks very similar to how computers and the internet changed work.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Premium is $150\/year.<\/strong> That\u2019s less than one walked-back AI announcement. The <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.growth-memo.com\/p\/exclusive-growth-premium-resources\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Growth Memo resource library<\/a> includes the positioning reframe asset in this memo\u2026 and the rest of the audits, workflows, and decks built for the AI visibility era.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1568\" height=\"842\" http: alt=\"Image 199\" class=\"wp-image-480868\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-199.png 1568w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-199-768x412.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-199-1536x825.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-199.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1568\" height=\"842\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-199.png\" alt=\"Image 199\" class=\"wp-image-480868\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-199.png 1568w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-199-768x412.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-199-1536x825.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1748\" height=\"1128\" http: alt=\"Image 209\" class=\"wp-image-480878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-209.png 1748w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-209-768x496.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-209-1536x991.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1748px) 100vw, 1748px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-209.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1748\" height=\"1128\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-209.png\" alt=\"Image 209\" class=\"wp-image-480878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-209.png 1748w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-209-768x496.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-209-1536x991.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1748px) 100vw, 1748px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1830\" height=\"742\" http: alt=\"Image 208\" class=\"wp-image-480877\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-208.png 1830w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-208-768x311.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-208-1536x623.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1830px) 100vw, 1830px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-208.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1830\" height=\"742\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-208.png\" alt=\"Image 208\" class=\"wp-image-480877\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-208.png 1830w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-208-768x311.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-208-1536x623.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1830px) 100vw, 1830px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2010\" height=\"1236\" http: alt=\"Image 207\" class=\"wp-image-480876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-207.png 2010w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-207-768x472.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-207-1536x945.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 2010px) 100vw, 2010px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-207.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2010\" height=\"1236\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-207.png\" alt=\"Image 207\" class=\"wp-image-480876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-207.png 2010w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-207-768x472.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-207-1536x945.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2010px) 100vw, 2010px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1662\" height=\"830\" http: alt=\"Image 206\" class=\"wp-image-480875\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-206.png 1662w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-206-768x384.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-206-1536x767.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1662px) 100vw, 1662px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-206.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1662\" height=\"830\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-206.png\" alt=\"Image 206\" class=\"wp-image-480875\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-206.png 1662w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-206-768x384.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-206-1536x767.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1662px) 100vw, 1662px\"><\/figure>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cStop trying to make \u2018replacement\u2019 happen. It\u2019s not going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>\u2014 Regina George from <em>Mean Girls<\/em> in an alternate multiverse<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2 id=\"ai-is-just-not-there-yet\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"AI_is_just_not_there%E2%80%A6_yet\"><\/span>AI is just not there\u2026 yet.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Synthetic intelligence in its current form is heavily paradoxical: <strong>AI can do some things better than humans and others not even at the level of a chimpanzee<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This phenomenon is called the Jagged Frontier. It\u2019s based on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hbs.edu\/faculty\/Pages\/item.aspx?num=64700\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a paper where BCG and Harvard researchers <\/a>conducted a randomized controlled trial of 758 knowledge workers and found that you get the most (12.2% more tasks, 25.1% faster) out of AI if you know what it\u2019s good and bad at.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why some people are lukewarm on AI and others see it as new salvation.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cCurrently, measures of exposure, automation, and augmentation show no sign of being related to changes in employment or unemployment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><cite>\u2014 From \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/budgetlab.yale.edu\/research\/evaluating-impact-ai-labor-market-current-state-affairs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Evaluating the Impact of AI on the Labor Market: Current State of Affairs,<\/a>\u201d Gimbel et al.<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Microsoft came to the same conclusion. In its <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/worklab\/work-trend-index\/agents-human-agency-and-the-opportunity-for-every-organization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2026 Work Trend Index Annual Report<\/a>, the Windows mother found that ~16% of the 20,000 AI users surveyed are \u201cFrontier Professionals\u201d or the most advanced AI users in the research set who use agents for multi-step workflow systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>80% of those Frontier Professionals said they produce work they couldn\u2019t have a year ago, compared to 58% across the board. They are not just using AI <em>more,<\/em> but also know <em>which mode<\/em> a task calls for. They have the judgment to navigate the Jagged Frontier.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1638\" height=\"2048\" http: alt=\"Image 205\" class=\"wp-image-480874\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-205.png 1638w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-205-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-205-1229x1536.png 1229w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1638px) 100vw, 1638px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-205.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1638\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-205.png\" alt=\"Image 205\" class=\"wp-image-480874\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-205.png 1638w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-205-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-205-1229x1536.png 1229w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1638px) 100vw, 1638px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Caption: Microsoft\u2019s 4 modes of using AI at work<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Despite some of the gains you <em>can<\/em> see from AI, we\u2019re far away from replacing people.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Do you truly trust any AI workflow enough to leave it on full automation without any maintenance or quality assurance?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Look at a company that tried: Klarna publicly bragged its AI did the work of 700 agents and cut headcount ~40%, Then <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/05\/14\/klarna-ceo-says-ai-helped-company-shrink-workforce-by-40percent.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">they reversed and rehired humans<\/a> after the CEO admitted cost-cutting produced \u201clower quality\u201d and that customers want a human option.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As a result, choosing substitution positioning means you gain short-term attention but sacrifice long-term credibility. Anthropic calls for a public pause on AI development on June 4 and launches Fable 5 on June 9. OpenAI did the same: Altman told the U.S. Senate in May 2023 that <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/articles\/senate-hearing-highlights-ai-harms-and-need-for-tougher-regulation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AI needs licensing and a global watchdog<\/a>, then opposed binding rules and lobbied against California\u2019s SB-1047 and mandatory federal pre-launch approval. The words don\u2019t match the actions.<\/p>\n<p>Substitute positioning could work if customers (1) actually wanted the replacement and (2) if the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> was there. Neither are true.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FYI: <\/strong>The <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.growth-memo.com\/i\/176171733\/bonus-resource-stakeholder-slide-deck-template-and-open-questions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Adapting for AI-Based Search deck<\/a> gives directors a validated, data-backed story to present to executives who keep asking what changed. Find it in the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.growth-memo.com\/p\/exclusive-growth-premium-resources\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Premium Subscribers Resource Library<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"antagonism\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Antagonism\"><\/span>Antagonism<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Cost reduction is a much stronger AI-use argument than productivity growth because it hits the P&amp;L immediately. Productivity gains show up later. They build slowly inside a company and even slower across the economy, the same lag we saw with computers and the internet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, because replacement positioning goes way beyond just cost-cutting (it\u2019s people-cutting), <strong>you also directly antagonize the people you sell to:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Duolingo\u2019s AI-first memo drew a \u201ctorrent of pushback\u201d on social media\/TikTok. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/6fbafbb6-bafe-484c-9af9-f0ffb589b447?syn-25a6b1a6=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CEO von Ahn said<\/a> he \u201cdid not expect the amount of blowback\u201d and walked it back, reframing AI as a \u201ctool to accelerate,\u201d not replace contractors.<\/li>\n<li>~31% of workers have <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techrepublic.com\/article\/news-ai-adoption-gap-workplace\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">refused to use AI tools at work<\/a>, often citing job-loss fear\u00a0.<\/li>\n<li>Pew: 50% of US adults are <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/09\/PS_2025.9.15_AI-and-its-impact_report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more concerned than excited about AI<\/a> in daily life; only 10% more excited than concerned, up from 37% concerned in 2021.<\/li>\n<li>71% of Americans are <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/americans-fear-ai-permanently-displacing-workers-reutersipsos-poll-finds-2025-08-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">afraid of being replaced<\/a> by AI.<\/li>\n<li>A survey of 1,294 knowledge workers shows those who sense the goal is replacement <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2026\/04\/why-companies-that-choose-ai-augmentation-over-automation-may-win-in-the-long-run\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">produce more low-quality workslop.<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Surveys show that leadership is commonly <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2025\/11\/leaders-assume-employees-are-excited-about-ai-theyre-wrong\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more excited about AI<\/a> than the employees who use it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In April, Uber execs bragged about burning their annual token budget in just four months. Today, that\u2019s a massive liability. Token cost is growing despite being heavily subsidized. But soon, it will reach a price point that makes junior employees start to look interesting again.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Entry-level jobs might soon be cheaper than tokens accomplishing the same output, and young people don\u2019t have the same baggage and reflexes that experienced experts have.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-the-replacement-for-replacement\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_replacement_for_%E2%80%98replacement\"><\/span>What is the replacement for \u2018replacement\u2019?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Instead of trying to replace people, the solution is to <strong>position your AI use as enhancement.<\/strong> The opposite of fear-based marketing is aspiration and empowerment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>AI goes both ways: You can reduce the number of people or grow output with the same number of people. And the data shows that productivity gains have a higher ROI than substitution.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1430\" height=\"475\" http: alt=\"Image 202\" class=\"wp-image-480871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-202.png 1430w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-202-768x255.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1430px) 100vw, 1430px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-202.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1430\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-202.png\" alt=\"Image 202\" class=\"wp-image-480871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-202.png 1430w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-202-768x255.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1430px) 100vw, 1430px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1364\" height=\"488\" http: alt=\"Image 200\" class=\"wp-image-480869\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-200.png 1364w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-200-768x275.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1364px) 100vw, 1364px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-200.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1364\" height=\"488\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-200.png\" alt=\"Image 200\" class=\"wp-image-480869\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-200.png 1364w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-200-768x275.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1364px) 100vw, 1364px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nber.org\/system\/files\/working_papers\/w34984\/w34984.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research<\/a>, Researchers asked 750 executives about the impact of AI on productivity and labor markets. While larger firms have a higher interest in replacing labor cost (people), <strong>the highest ROI comes from growing productivity<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The moral of the story? Doing more with what you have works better than firing copywriter Alex because only Alex can judge good copy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1602\" height=\"1328\" http: alt=\"Image 204\" class=\"wp-image-480873\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-204.png 1602w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-204-768x637.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-204-1536x1273.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1602px) 100vw, 1602px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-204.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1602\" height=\"1328\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-204.png\" alt=\"Image 204\" class=\"wp-image-480873\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-204.png 1602w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-204-768x637.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/image-204-1536x1273.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1602px) 100vw, 1602px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"premium-your-positioning-matters-more-than-ever-claude-skill\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Premium_Your_positioning_matters_more_than_ever_Claude_skill\"><\/span>Premium: Your positioning matters more than ever + Claude skill<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Building products has gotten easier, but distribution has not.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When supply explodes, the scarce thing is being the product that actually gets chosen, and positioning (right alongside product quality) is exactly <em>how<\/em> you get chosen.<\/p>\n<p>Premium subscribers get the Claude skill that performs a quality check on your content\u2019s positioning for any AI-based tooling within your product, offering quality reframes for your team that avoid substitution positioning.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>This post first appeared on the author\u2019s website and is republished here with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"ttd-topics-display\">\n<div class=\"ttd-topics-content\">\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Topics_on_this_page\"><\/span>Topics on this page<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"ttd-topics-links\">Artificial intelligenceAnthropicDario AmodeiOpenAISam AltmanAmazon.comBrand managementCaliforniaClaudeGoldman SachsHarvard UniversityIncome statementKevin IndigMarketingMicrosoftPewProductivityTikTokUnited StatesUnited States Senate<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ttd-topics-show-extra-button\">+15 more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/stop-replacing-people-with-ai-480865\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fear-based AI positioning grabs attention, but it can undermine trust. Here&#8217;s why augmentation is a stronger long-term marketing strategy. The biggest positioning mistake in AI marketing is selling your product as a replacement for people. It wins attention now, but costs you trust later. Heads up: This memo is a slight deviation from the usual&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":735386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/Stop-trying-to-replace-people-with-AI-featured-image.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-735385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=735385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/735386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=735385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=735385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=735385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}