{
  "id": 7802098,
  "title": "Companies Cutting Jobs for AI Are Creating a Crisis of Trust | Opinion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/companies-cutting-jobs-for-ai-are-creating-a-crisis-of-trust-opinion",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-16T14:07:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/companies-cutting-jobs-ai-creating-crisis-trust-opinion-12448792"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Trust is the biggest concern for workers as companies adopt artificial intelligence. While AI can boost productivity and create new chances, leaders who introduce it with secrecy, vagueness, and mass layoffs risk turning the technological change into a loss of confidence. A recent Reuters report on Meta's AI plan shows the danger. Meta considered job cuts of up to 60% to become an \"AI native\" organization. Workers thought the AI strategy aimed to replace them. After some layoffs, Meta canceled plans for more cuts. This shows a big problem: when employees believe technology is used against them, leadership loses control. I've seen this many times in mediation, where people create explanations when they lack information. Leaders can't just announce changes and expect everyone to follow. They must involve employees, listen to their feedback, and explain decisions they may not like. Ignoring employee input creates resentment. Trust affects behavior too. When people doubt their leaders, they become less willing to share information, take risks, or protect their colleagues. This hurts productivity. Trust is a two-way street. Leaders should ask if they can expect loyalty if they've shown their own security is up for grabs. The solution is to use AI to boost human abilities before thinking it's just about replacing humans. Involve employees early, explain what's changing, ask for input, and respond to their concerns. Treat uncertainty as a leadership problem, not just a communications issue. This approach can help employees become partners in a time of big productivity and growth. If leaders handle AI transformation with transparency, workers can trust them more and focus on advancing the business.",
  "summary": "The future of work will be shaped by AI. Whether workers trust the people deploying it is still a leadership decision.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}