MW Why workers are worried AI won't just take their jobs - it will actually fire them, too

By Weston Blasi

Six in 10 managers are already using AI to help make decisions about promotions, raises and layoffs. Could AI avatars saying "you're fired" come next?

What's going on with those TikTok videos of people getting fired by an AI-generated avatar? Are they real? They're certainly scaring people.

A recent string of viral online videos feature some workers claiming they were fired by AI. Not that artificial intelligence replaced them in their jobs - but rather, that they were sent AI-generated videos informing them they had been let go from their positions.

The videos in question, some of which have over 2 million total views on TikTok, feature employees filming themselves as they claim to be getting fired by an AI avatar over a videoconference call. The videos are similar to viral clips of workers getting laid off remotely by human HR reps over Zoom (ZM) calls, which became popular during the COVID pandemic and sparked discussion about what the future of firing people will look like.

But are these recent videos claiming to show people getting fired by AI avatars even real? Several AI industry sources who viewed the clips and spoke to MarketWatch for this story agreed that these TikTok videos supposedly showing people being laid off by AI-generated videos do not appear to be authentic - suggesting that people may have been posting them in order to gain attention. These experts also added that they have not seen examples of companies using AI-generated videos like this to fire employees.

The TikTok accounts that posted the videos in question did not respond to multiple MarketWatch requests for comment.

Related: A recent college grad asks: How do I compete with AI to get a job in finance?

But even if these videos aren't authentic, view counts in the millions on these posts suggest that there is interest - and probably growing fear - behind the idea of this happening, and whether this could be the future of getting laid off.

Comments under the videos noted: "That is so disrespectful omg," "so dystopian" and "feels like a Black Mirror episode."

'AI is already being informally incorporated into determining who to hire, fire and interview.'Amy Dufrane, CEO of human-resources career-building company HRCI

So while experts told MarketWatch that they haven't seen evidence of AI videos being used to fire people yet, could it be coming?

"It is clear that AI is already being informally incorporated into determining who to hire, fire and interview. It is only a matter of time before this becomes more formalized," Amy Dufrane, chief executive of human-resources career-building company HRCI, told MarketWatch.

Companies may not be firing workers through AI-generated videos today, but some experts like Dufrane do think it's conceivable in the future. In some instances, the responsibility for terminations has already shifted from direct managers to less familiar HR representatives, or even outsourced to HR consultants, for example. And it's not hard to imagine a situation where this responsibility is eventually moved from human HR reps to AI if the associated costs make the switch worthwhile.

"Corporations have already started using HR departments for terminations," Jesse Glass, lead AI researcher at DecideAI, an AI-solutions company that specializes in large language models, told MarketWatch - citing "unfamiliar individuals firing workers from departments, and cutting off connections from that person to the department coldly and immediately."

According to a recent survey from ResumeBuilder, about 6 in 10 managers already rely on AI to make decisions about their direct reports, and many of these managers use AI to determine raises (78%), promotions (77%), layoffs (66%), and terminations (64%). This could occur by monitoring employee performance through automatic tracking or large language models, for example.

That follows a 2023 survey featured in the Washington Post that polled 300 human-resources leaders at U.S. companies, which revealed that 98% of them expected that software and algorithms would aid them in deciding layoffs that year.

Related: Why do companies make job applicants jump through so many hoops these days? Blame AI.

Beyond evaluating employees, AI use in another part of the job market - the hiring process - is becoming more well known. AI has been used in everything from scanning resumes for key words during candidate screening, to executing early-stage interviews through assessments and video tests.

An estimated 88% of companies use some form of artificial intelligence for initial candidate screening, according to the World Economic Forum. WEF data suggest that candidates who underwent AI-led interviews in the beginning of the hiring process performed better in the human interviews later in the process. The idea behind AI in hiring is to parse the eligible candidates to smaller, more qualified groups.

'Technology can liberate HR professionals from basic processes, allowing them to focus on strategic, high-value functions.'Abby Knowles of human-resources trade association SHRM

"Technology can liberate HR professionals from basic processes, allowing them to focus on strategic, high-value functions," said Abby Knowles of SHRM, a human-resources trade association.

Moving forward, some believe that AI use in firing workers will continue to be tested by companies - but that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

"I wouldn't be surprised if some companies quietly experiment with it. Large organizations test cost-cutting measures all the time," Andrew Hiesinger, CEO at Quant Data, told MarketWatch. "Companies that rely on AI to handle exits may save time in the moment, but they'll likely pay a much bigger price reputationally."

Read on: TikTok calls her '32 pizzas mom.' What her videos can teach us about how we spend money.

-Weston Blasi

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September 16, 2025 15:01 ET (19:01 GMT)

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