📰 AI News: IBM Plans To Triple Entry-Level Hiring In 2026, Even As Everyone Says AI Will Replace Juniors
📝 TL;DR IBM is going the opposite direction of the AI panic narrative, it plans to triple entry-level hiring in the US in 2026. The catch is these roles are being redesigned to focus on human strengths like customer work and AI oversight, not the tasks AI can already automate. 🧠 Overview While a lot of companies are quietly shrinking junior pipelines because AI can do “beginner” tasks, IBM is doubling down on early career hiring. Their logic is simple, entry level jobs still matter, but the job description has to evolve. Instead of paying juniors to do repetitive work, IBM wants them doing the people heavy work and the judgment work, the kind of work that makes AI useful without letting it run the show. 📜 The Announcement IBM says it will triple entry-level hiring in the US in 2026. Leaders at the company have framed this as a deliberate investment in talent, even for roles people claim AI can handle. The twist is that IBM is rewriting what these entry-level jobs actually are. The new versions are less focused on tasks AI can automate easily, like some routine coding or repetitive execution, and more focused on customer engagement, collaboration, and verifying and guiding AI output. ⚙️ How It Works • Role redesign, not role denial - IBM is not pretending AI cannot automate junior tasks, it is shifting juniors toward work that still benefits from humans. • Less “do the task,” more “drive the outcome” - Entry roles will tilt toward understanding the customer, shaping requirements, and coordinating work, not just cranking out deliverables. • AI supervision becomes part of the job - Juniors will be expected to review AI output, validate accuracy, and make judgment calls rather than blindly accepting what the model produces. • Customer facing skills move up the ladder - Communication, empathy, and clarity become core early career skills, not something you only need once you are senior.