Duncan Trevithick, a 34-year-old marketing worker in Spain, questions the ethics of his company's policy that ties bonuses and promotions to effective use of AI at work. He argues that while using AI can increase productivity, it doesn't necessarily translate into better compensation or job security, potentially leading to redundancy for human workers. Major companies like Accenture, Disney, and Meta are implementing similar policies, tracking employees' AI usage through leaderboards, with some even dismissing staff who fail to comply. A McKinsey report indicates that 94% of companies have yet to see significant value from AI investments, while a survey by Gi Group shows that most UK jobseekers (75%) are not deterred by organizations requiring AI proficiency for performance reviews.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
- Published
It's in Duncan Trevithick's interest to be good at using AI at work - if he can use it to get more tasks done, faster, he'll qualify for a bonus at the end of the year.
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he → publish → year
But he's questioning what's really in it for him.
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what → question → him
"The uncomfortable interpretation is that employees are being assessed on how effectively they can participate in their own redundancy," says Spain-based Trevithick, 34, who works in marketing for an AI training data company.
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who → assess → company
But if he uses AI to take care of two days worth of work each week, he says the financial rewards don't add up.
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rewards → use → work
"I do not receive two days off or a 40% pay rise.
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The higher output simply becomes the new baseline.
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output → become → ?
In the short term, that may help me get promoted.
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me → help → term
In the longer term, I have helped prove how much of my job no longer requires me," he says.
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he → help → me
"I'm just trying to view myself as a manager, and I'm managing some people, and I'm also managing AI agents, or AI loops, or whatever you want to call it.
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you → try → it
Using employees' AI abilities as a measure of whether they should get a bonus, promoted - or even sacked - is fast becoming more common.
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they → use → bonus
Accenture CEO Julie Sweet told the Rapid Response podcast in March: "Today, AI at Accenture is how we do work.
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we → tell → work
So if you want to get promoted, you've got to do the things that we do in order to operate at Accenture.
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we → want → Accenture
And big names like Disney, Meta, JP Morgan and KPMG have introduced "AI leaderboards" to track and rank employees' usage of the array of LLMs and platforms at their disposal, according to media reports, external.
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Crypto trading platform Coinbase has already fired engineers who didn't complete AI training, as requested by the chief executive, Brian Armstrong, external.
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who → fire → executive
It demonstrates how eager business leaders are to see a return from their AI investments, especially when 94% of companies have yet to see significant value from AI, according to a report, external by consultants McKinsey.
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Employees feel they have to get on board, thanks to the current state of the jobs market - in the UK, vacancies have hit a five-year low.
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vacancies → feel → low
Meanwhile, 75% of the 1,881 UK jobseekers polled in July by recruiter Gi Group say they would not be put off applying to an organisation that had introduced AI proficiency into individual performance reviews.
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that → poll → reviews
Around 22% said it would be off-putting.
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it → say → ?
"It's like being in the sea and you see a giant wave coming.
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You can get out a surfboard and try and ride it as long as possible, or you can just let it take you under.
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But you can't stop the wave," says Trevithick.
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But what's going on at the large consultancy Pamela (her name has been changed to protect her identity) works for isn't sitting right with her.
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name → go → her
She's a US-based senior executive who has observed that, while there isn't a formal mandate for employees to use AI, it's obviously determining who is rewarded, and who is left behind.
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who → base → AI
"The ground is shifting under us.
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You've got to demonstrate [AI] fluency and fluidity as one of your key achievements.
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It's kind of quiet where nobody's saying, 'learn AI or else'.
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nobody → say → AI
But let me tell you, in performance reviews, they reward who uses it well," says Pamela.
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That shift, she adds, means that AI capabilities are now counting for more than actual experience, which is creating a "two tier workforce".
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which → add → workforce
"You've got the same job title, same tenure, but different value based on whether someone treats AI as a threat or a tool - that gap widens really quickly once leadership notices it," says Pamela.
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Pamela → get → it
"AI fluency beats credentials every day.
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fluency → beat → credentials
Somebody that has 15, 20 years of experience and no AI fluency will be passed over for those that have, say, three years, but are fast with the tools."
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that → have → tools
She adds: "If you're not visibly using AI, you see slower promotion timelines.
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It's harder to be seen, and it's harder to fight being on that shortlist.
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it → see → shortlist
"
But is it legal for companies to shift the goal posts like this?
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Legally, bosses are in the clear, confirms Tina Chander, partner and employment lawyer at Weightmans.
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But she says it does open up questions about pay and fairness.
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it → say → pay
"The question then becomes whether the employer increases expectations on the basis that the employee can now produce more work.
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employee → become → work
Is that fair?" questions Chander.
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"And if an employee is effectively doing more because AI has made them more efficient, should they be rewarded differently?
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Or are they effectively making themselves redundant, thus acting as a disincentive to be productive?"
Chander advises businesses to have clear policies, training and boundaries in place, otherwise they risk employees opening up disputes about fairness, performance expectations and job security.
Indeed, from January 2027, UK employees will have six months to submit unfair dismissal claims compared with the current three months, and will be able to do so after just six months service, rather than the current two years.
Yet
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employees → make → years
…and 25 more, not listed.
The Aporia
