Why Companies Use AI to Cut Costs Instead of Building Ambitious Projects 3 by badr_elmazaz | 0 comments on Hacker News. It’s frustrating to see how most companies view AI almost exclusively as a tool to cut costs, mainly by replacing workers, rather than as an opportunity to scale up, take bigger risks, and pursue more ambitious, world-changing projects. Historically, every major technological leap has enabled more, not less: more experimentation, more products, more services, and more jobs. When electricity, the steam engine, or the internet were adopted, the boldest companies didn’t shrink their ambitions. They expanded aggressively, took risks, and created entirely new markets. So why is AI being treated differently? One reason seems to be risk aversion. Many companies, especially large and established ones, are focused on short-term gains, shareholder expectations, and operational efficiency. They see AI as a way to "optimize" — to cut staff, automate workflows, and in...