CBC: AI Agents Complete Roughly 30% of Real-World Tasks — Why Are Tech Companies Laying Off the Humans Anyway?

A CBC analysis examines the disconnect between AI agent performance data — benchmarks show agents completing roughly 30% of complex real-world tasks reliably — and the accelerating wave of tech layoffs attributed to AI automation. The piece surveys multiple studies showing agents underperform humans on nuanced, multi-step tasks while reporting that companies simultaneously cut headcount and cite AI as the rationale. Experts quoted argue the layoffs largely reflect cost-cutting with AI as a cover story rather than demonstrated automation capability at the claimed scale.