“AI Rebounding”, or when employees replaced by AI are finally… recalled by their employer

In the economic field, artificial intelligence has already generated a whole procession of phenomena and concepts that delight analysts. They first unearthed “workslop”, a contraction of the English words “work” and “slop”, which designates professional content generated by AI, neat in appearance but completely hollow in substance. They also coined the term “AI washing” to describe companies that exaggerate, or even invent, the integration of this technology into their services.

Now welcome the latest addition: “AI rebounding”. Difficult to find a French translation for this still young concept, which could literally correspond to the “AI rebound”. It refers to the case of an employee dismissed to be replaced by artificial intelligence, then finally recalled by his employer, who noted the limits of automation. According to a study by the SHL firm, carried out in June and July 2026, 19.1% of American employees surveyed said they had been replaced by AI before being asked to return to their position. Among 18-24 year olds, the proportion reaches 24%.

The recruitment firm Robert Half draws a comparable observation: almost a third (32%) of managers whose companies had eliminated positions because of AI had to recreate the same or similar functions. Large groups are not spared. In June 2026, the automobile manufacturer Ford recruited and promoted 350 experienced engineers in the face of the limits of its automated quality control tools. The Swedish split payment specialist Klarna has again started to recruit human advisors for complex files.

“Rapid, short-sighted decisions”

If there are so many employees affected, it is above all because employers, in a hurry to obtain productivity gains through the integration of technology, have made hasty decisions. “Companies are making quick, sometimes short-sighted decisions about their workforce based on an incomplete view of what their employees can do, with or without AI,” says Lucy Beaumont, global senior vice president of product and design at SHL. “The company ends up rehiring the same experts it had just fired, at a much higher cost.” she continues. And for good reason: according to the firm's study, 51% of people made redundant ask for a salary increase before agreeing to come back.