China court blocks AI firings forcing companies to prove real role impossibility

Employers must show the job truly can’t be done

A Hangzhou court has ruled that companies can’t use AI automation as a blanket excuse to fire workers. The court said firings must align with contract law and genuine impossibility of performing the role, plus fair reassignment where possible. The decision shifts the debate from whether AI will eliminate jobs to whether employers can be held accountable for displacement costs.