Anticipating labor needs five years ahead is a challenge, but in the Spanish financial sector, it is already taken for granted that there will be an excess of capacity and that artificial intelligence (AI) will transform the entire value chain: from customer service to internal processes and decision-making. This is acknowledged by a senior executive from the Ibex, reflecting the widespread concern among large companies, which are analyzing the impact of AI with increasing urgency. The debate about AI goes beyond the occasional layoffs at giants like Amazon, Oracle, or Capgemini. The real challenge is structural and affects the entire business fabric. “Deadlines have shortened: what we expected in five or ten years will arrive in three,” warns a director from an Ibex firm, confirming the existence of contingency plans in human resources, with scenarios contemplating cuts of up to 30% in staff. According to the latest report from CC OO, the 35 largest listed Spanish companies account for more than 1.2 million jobs, highlighting the potential impact. Time is key. “Those who react late will face harsher adjustments,” notes a veteran investment banker, emphasizing how technological speed renders many profiles obsolete. Even mergers and acquisitions (M&A) operations are already influenced by the structure and qualifications of the workforce, as AI necessitates restructurings that affect valuations and financing. Politically, companies fear being the first to announce layoffs — and being marked — as well as being late and facing potential government restrictions. Although academic solutions such as a reduced workweek, universal basic income, or new taxes on AI licenses have been proposed, the political response remains insufficient and short-term. Thus, a gap is emerging between agile and lagging companies, with structural consequences. Meanwhile, many companies seek external justifications for adjustments, such as global uncertainty or energy prices, although AI is the true engine of change. An example is the recent voluntary layoff plan at BBVA, which, although officially unrelated to AI, anticipates a trend that will soon fully impact the financial sector. The impact of AI will not only be felt by current employees but also by those seeking to enter the labor market, especially in highly qualified profiles. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the full-time employment rate among U.S. graduates has fallen from 59.1% in 2022 to 54.8% in 2024, while the demand for AI skills has nearly tripled in six months. Goldman Sachs, in its AI Adoption Tracker, notes that the net impact on employment is still limited due to the compensatory effect between sectors: while areas like marketing, graphic design, and customer service are losing about 11,000 jobs monthly, the construction of data centers has generated 212,000 new positions since 2022. AI adoption in U.S. companies reached 19.8% in April and is expected to reach 23% in six months, with professional services, education, and finance leading the way. Studies indicate an average productivity increase of 23%, reaching 33% according to business experiences. In Spain, the process is advancing rapidly. A Funcas study reveals that the use of AI in companies with more than ten employees rose from 12.4% in 2023 to 21.1% in the first quarter of 2025. The model projects a gross destruction of between 1.7 and 2.3 million jobs in ten years, with no scenarios where the net balance is positive before 2035. The most affected will be technicians and scientific professionals, while sectors like agriculture, fishing, or armed forces will hardly notice the change. This phenomenon threatens to break the implicit social contract linking higher education to job stability. As analyst Robert D. Kaplan warns, AI could concentrate power in a scientific elite, posing risks to democracy and social cohesion. Recent examples, such as the Palantir manifesto or the emergence of Mythos from Anthropic, have generated alarm in the financial sector and led the ECB to demand contingency plans in the face of potential security breaches. The AI revolution is already here, and its impact, both on employment and social structure, will be profound and lasting.