Two startup CEOs are pushing back against the narrative that AI will eliminate jobs wholesale. Speaking at Web Summit Qatar, the founders of Read AI and Lucidya told TechCrunch that AI tools are reshaping workflows by automating specific tasks rather than replacing entire roles. The comments arrive as companies worldwide grapple with how to deploy AI without triggering workforce anxiety, and as automation debates intensify across the tech industry.
The CEOs of Read AI and Lucidya are drawing a line in the sand on one of tech's most contentious debates. Speaking at Web Summit Qatar, both founders argued that artificial intelligence tools are designed to handle discrete tasks within jobs rather than eliminate positions entirely.
The timing matters. As enterprises rush to integrate AI assistants into everything from customer support to sales workflows, workers across industries are questioning whether their roles will survive the automation wave. But according to these startup leaders, that fear misses the point of how AI deployment actually works in practice.
Read AI builds AI-powered meeting assistants that automatically capture notes, action items, and key decisions from video calls. Lucidya focuses on AI-driven customer success and social listening tools for Arabic-speaking markets. Both companies sit squarely in the crosshairs of the automation anxiety, given that note-taking and customer support have long been viewed as vulnerable to AI replacement.
Yet their founders see a different reality unfolding. Rather than AI systems taking over entire job functions, they're observing tools that handle repetitive, time-consuming elements while humans focus on strategic decision-making and relationship building. A customer support agent might let AI handle routine queries while concentrating on complex escalations. A sales professional could offload meeting transcription to focus on client strategy.
The distinction between task automation and job elimination isn't just semantic. It reflects fundamentally different visions for how AI integrates into workplace operations. One model sees AI as a productivity multiplier that makes existing workers more effective. The other envisions wholesale replacement of human labor with algorithmic alternatives.
