"They said AI was here to 'help handle overflow.' By September, even I was gone"

"They brought in the AI system in March, told us it was to 'help handle overflow.' By June, half my team was gone. By September, even I was gone."

Her department originally had 20+ people on the customer support team. After AI was introduced, it first handled simple queries — password resets, billing issues, order tracking. Then medium-complexity problems. Finally, even complaint handling that required judgment was handed to AI.

"The worst part wasn't losing the job. It was those three months, watching it happen while being told everything was fine. Every meeting, leadership said 'AI is here to assist you.' But where's the line between assisting and replacing? We all knew the answer."

In Bangalore, India, customer service rep Megha S (32) had a similar experience. After her company rolled out AI tools to review sales call quality, she was let go right before the holidays. "They told me I was the first person to be replaced by AI. I haven't dared to tell my parents yet."