How to Spot AI Propaganda
Five questions to ask when executives start talking about AI transformation
Hi, I’m Jamaal. Welcome to Jamaal’s Letter, where I share insights, predictions, and strong opinions on the future of markets, work, business, tech, and more.
The people who read this newsletter are the people who run the world. If you aren’t yet a subscriber, consider joining them by subscribing below. Please share it with your friends and colleagues if you find it helpful:
Author's Note: This is an update to my recent piece, Stop Falling for Corporate AI Theater, which explored how companies use viral memos and public AI proclamations as marketing tools or strategic smokescreens. This follow-up, inspired by Amazon's recent claims of an AI-prompted workforce reduction, offers a simple framework for evaluating those narratives as they become more frequent.
Read time: 4 minutes
Last week, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told employees that the company's rollout of generative AI tools would likely slow hiring in corporate roles. He framed it as a shift toward greater productivity and urged staff to engage with AI training.
This kind of messaging is becoming common. Companies often attribute layoffs, hiring freezes, and reorganizations to AI, without showing evidence that AI is driving meaningful performance gains.
Here's how to spot AI propaganda.
Five Questions for Evaluating AI Narratives
1. Who is the message really for?
Every company message serves one (or more) of three core audiences:
Investors want growth, margins, and long-term value
Employees want job security, compensation, and clarity
Customers want value, price, and product quality
If a company leads with "hiring will slow," ask yourself: Which of these groups is that message supposed to impress? If the answer isn't clear or doesn't align with their incentives, the message may be serving a different, less transparent purpose.
2. Are they showing real productivity gains, or just gesturing at them?
True AI-driven productivity will show up in:
Higher margins
Increased output or higher revenue per employee
Product or service expansion
If those aren't mentioned, but job cuts are, it may not be AI-driven efficiency, just efficiency theater.
3. Is this company sharing a real competitive advantage?
I've seen this firsthand. When companies crack AI-enabled productivity, they don't brag about it. They quietly exploit it before competitors catch on. Public proclamations are often more about perception than performance.
4. Is the timing tied to broader economic conditions?
In this moment, it's impossible to disentangle business decisions from the macroeconomic and geopolitical climate. Tepid growth, high interest rates, and investor pressure are driving headcount reductions across industries. When those realities align with an AI "shift," it's worth asking: Was this going to happen anyway?
5. Is AI being used to explain change, or distract from it?
AI has become a corporate Trojan horse. It promises innovation but often masks contraction. If a memo is selling the upside of technology without specifics—while burying cost-cutting or layoffs—it's more narrative than strategy.
The Bottom Line
AI theater isn't going anywhere. As the technology matures and economic pressures mount, expect more companies to use AI narratives as cover for difficult business decisions. The key is learning to distinguish between genuine AI-driven transformation and strategic storytelling. Ask the right questions, follow the incentives, and remember: when companies discover real competitive advantages, they rarely announce them in all-hands meetings.
More like this:
Does your board need members who can reveal blind spots, anticipate risks, tackle M&A, or engage confidently with capital markets? Let’s connect. Reach out if your board is seeking fresh, financially sophisticated leadership.
👋🏿 I’m Jamaal Glenn. I serve on boards to help organizations navigate growth, risk, and complexity with financial discipline and bold, future-focused strategy. My career spans $70 billion in capital markets and M&A transactions, venture capital leadership, and scaling technology and media businesses backed by luminaries like Eric Schmidt, Pierre Omidyar, and leading global family offices. I’ve chaired audit and finance committees and advised institutional investors that deploy billions into cutting-edge sectors, including AI, fintech, and digital infrastructure. As a Qualified Financial Expert, I bring not only deep capital markets and deal expertise, but also operational leadership—having built, scaled, and exited ventures, raised over $150 million from institutional investors, and helped shape the growth strategies of both startups and Fortune 500-caliber enterprises. I pair financial rigor with a governance mindset, positioning me to join—and ultimately chair—an audit committee while driving long-term value creation.
Good call outs.