China: a court rules illegal the dismissal of an employee replaced by AI 

Eric Sautedé

An article by Éric Sautedé

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Publication

18 May 2026 à 10h03

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2 minutes

Publication: 18 May 2026 à 10h03

Reading time: 2 minutes

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Eric Sautedé

An article by Éric Sautedé

Ajouter mind HR à vos sources
Publication

18 May 2026 à 10h03

Reading time

2 minutes

Publication: 18 May 2026 à 10h03

Reading time: 2 minutes

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The news. On April 28, 2026, the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court upheld an August 2025 ruling, in which the judges recognized the dismissal of an employee as illegal on the grounds that he could be replaced by AI. The company was ordered to pay compensation of 261,000 yuan (approximately 32,500 euros).

The stakes.

  • In this case, Zhou, an employee of a tech company working in quality control for language models, was offered a significant salary reduction (-40%) on the grounds that AI could n
…
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Eric Sautedé
Éric Sautedé Freelance
Eric Sautedé
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