Derek Staahl

Fired for AI. Hired back anyway. 🔄
Robert Half found 29% of companies that laid off workers after adopting AI ended up rehiring those same workers. Analysts call it the “AI boomerang.”
Travis Laird, a Phoenix jobs expert with Robert Half, says companies overestimated what AI could replace, and now they need the human touch back.
The clearest case study? IKEA. The company automated 50% of its phone calls, putting 8,500 employees at risk. Instead of letting them go, IKEA retrained those call-center workers as interior designers, pairing their catalog expertise with AI that recommends product placement.
It’s now IKEA’s fastest-growing revenue stream, Laird said.
His takeaway for job seekers: learn to use AI, but don’t let it flatten you. He says he can spot an AI-generated resume instantly: same template, same phrasing, no personality. Make it yours.
🎙️ Full interview with Travis Laird online now 🔗 azfamily.com/genai (link in bio)

Emerging research from Arizona State University finds data centers are warming surrounding neighborhoods by several degrees Fahrenheit, a preliminary finding that could pose health risks and intensify the debate over the AI-driven proliferation of the buildings across the Phoenix area.
David Sailor, director of ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, said his team’s measurements consistently detected a heat plume from data centers that extended into nearby communities, regardless of wind direction. The research is unpublished and has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Warming neighborhoods by a few degrees could exacerbate periods of extreme heat. One study found that for each 1-degree Fahrenheit increase during a heat wave, the risk of death rose by 2.5 percent.

Read the full story at azfamily.com/geni

Fireworks, monkeys, dancing, and so much good food. What a treat to witness the beautiful wedding of Brendon and Sarah alongside so many good friends!