GRAND RAPIDS — Grand Rapids–based Acrisure plans to eliminate approximately 400 positions, including about 200 in Michigan, as the global insurance and fintech firm deploys artificial intelligence systems to automate portions of its accounting operations, according to reporting by Crain’s Grand Rapids Business.

Company officials have described the move as part of a broader technology modernization strategy aimed at improving efficiency and streamlining internal processes. The reductions underscore a shift increasingly visible across professional workplaces: artificial intelligence is moving beyond pilot programs and into core business functions.

While automation has long reshaped factory floors, the latest wave is reaching accounting departments, legal research teams, marketing groups and executive suites — roles traditionally viewed as stable white-collar career paths.

Federal Reserve Weighs Multiple AI Outcomes

The Acrisure cuts come as economists and policymakers debate how quickly artificial intelligence will reshape the broader labor market.

In a February address cited by Axios, Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr outlined several potential paths for AI adoption — ranging from gradual integration that allows workers and employers time to adjust, to more rapid deployment that could disrupt hiring patterns and wage growth if adaptation lags.

Barr emphasized that outcomes will depend less on whether AI is adopted and more on the speed of its diffusion and the ability of workers and companies to reskill in response.

Recruiters See Hiring Expectations Shift

In Michigan’s professional labor market, recruiters say the shift is no longer theoretical.

Gary Erickson, managing partner of ExecSearch Partners, said artificial intelligence has quickly become a baseline expectation for job candidates at nearly every level.

“AI allows us to do significantly more than we did before,” Erickson said. At the same time, he added, the technology is increasingly “automating jobs that suck” — repetitive, time-consuming tasks that once made up much of the early years of many professional careers.

For job seekers, Erickson’s advice is direct: “You have to learn how to apply AI to make your job suck less.”

He said the expectation extends well beyond entry-level roles. Executives seeking to change jobs or advance into senior leadership positions are now expected to demonstrate how they are incorporating artificial intelligence into strategy, operations and productivity.

Boards and investors, Erickson said, increasingly want leaders who can clearly articulate how AI improves efficiency and competitive positioning.

The Entry-Level Squeeze

For decades, early-career professionals gained experience by drafting reports, conducting research, preparing financial models, reviewing contracts and managing data — precisely the type of structured work AI systems now perform efficiently.

The result may not be mass layoffs, but fewer traditional entry-level openings and a compressed career ladder.

National research organizations, including the McKinsey Global Institute and Goldman Sachs, have estimated that a significant share of administrative and professional tasks could be partially automated by generative AI tools, particularly in finance, legal services and marketing.

For young professionals entering Michigan’s workforce, the implication is a shift in how experience is built. Rather than focusing on task execution alone, workers may need to develop skills in oversight, validation and synthesis — evaluating AI output, identifying errors and applying judgment where automation falls short.

In this environment, value increasingly comes from interpretation and decision-making, not first drafts.

Universities and Training Under Pressure

Michigan’s major universities, including University of Michigan and Michigan State University, have expanded artificial intelligence research and applied learning programs in recent years.

But employers are signaling that AI literacy is no longer a technical specialty reserved for engineers or data scientists. It is becoming a general professional competency.

Recruiters say candidates who cannot explain how they use AI tools to improve workflow, reduce costs or enhance decision-making risk falling behind peers who can.

Productivity Gains — and Long-Term Risks

Economists note that previous technological revolutions ultimately produced productivity gains and new categories of employment, even as certain roles declined.

Whether artificial intelligence follows a similar path in Michigan may depend on how aggressively companies invest in retraining and how quickly workers adapt.

For now, the transition is already visible. Acrisure’s accounting automation offers a concrete example of AI reshaping white-collar work once considered resistant to disruption. Recruiters say similar conversations are taking place across industries, from insurance and finance to manufacturing and marketing.

A Call to Adapt

Artificial intelligence is not eliminating Michigan’s professional workforce. But it is rewriting how careers begin — and how they advance.

The repetitive work that once trained accountants, analysts, marketers and executives is increasingly handled by software. That shift may narrow traditional entry points, compress hiring pipelines and raise expectations faster than many workers anticipate.

The disruption may not appear immediately in headline unemployment numbers. It is unfolding quietly inside offices, hiring meetings and boardrooms.

For young professionals, the message is clear: learn the tools, understand how they create value, and move beyond the work machines can replicate.

For executives, the expectation is no different. AI fluency is rapidly becoming a leadership competency, not a technical add-on.

Michigan’s professional class is not being replaced. It is being redefined.

Those who adapt early will not just survive the shift — they will shape it.