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Mexican Researcher Let Go After 17 Years as Ed‑Tech Employer Accelerates AI Use

Reports say the company urged staff to try ChatGPT, then months later included him in layoffs without alleging a policy breach.

Overview

  • Kevin Cantera, a Mexican researcher based in New Mexico, was dismissed from an educational‑technology firm after more than 17 years on staff.
  • He had adopted ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot to draft, summarize, and refine content with manual fact‑checking and editorial review.
  • Coverage based on his account indicates the company promoted internal experimentation with generative AI and had conveyed that adoption would not imply cuts.
  • There has been no public claim that he violated internal rules governing AI use at the time of his separation.
  • The case, first detailed in a Washington Post column and echoed by outlets like Excélsior and Proceso on Oct. 13, is being highlighted by experts as evidence of AI reshaping cognitive roles and as a prompt for clearer oversight, retraining, and policy.