Just in time for Labour Day, China makes it illegal to fire humans if AI takes their jobs
A Chinese court has ruled that employers cannot fire workers simply because AI can perform their job duties, setting a legal precedent ahead of Labour Day. The case involved an employee named Zhou who successfully challenged a demotion and pay cut after AI was used to carry out their tasks. The State Council highlighted the ruling as affirming that AI adoption does not automatically justify contract termination.
- ▪A worker surnamed Zhou challenged their employer's decision to demote and reduce their salary after AI was used to perform their job.
- ▪The Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court ruled in favor of the worker, establishing that using AI does not justify terminating employment contracts.
- ▪China's State Council publicized the ruling on April 30, 2026, just before Labour Day, emphasizing worker protections amid AI adoption.
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Legal Just in time for Labour Day, China makes it illegal to fire humans if AI takes their jobs PLUS: Samsung cashes in on RAM prices; Booze from space fetches huge price; China's hyperscalers surge Simon Sharwood Mon 4 May 2026 // 00:33 UTC A Chinese court has ruled that it’s illegal to replace human workers with AI. China’s State Council, the nation’s highest executive and administrative authority, saw fit to publish a state media report about the case, which saw the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court consider the case of a worker who was hired for duties including “matching user queries with large language models and filtering illegal or privacy-violating content, among others, to ensure accurate output by AI models.” The worker’s employer started using AI for some of that work and…
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