A bank CEO is apologizing for a comment he made about artificial intelligence and job cuts that many called insensitive.

Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue or it was a moment of clarity for a CEO in dropping his guard when it comes to talking about his workers. Either way, it underlines the changing nature of labor in the age of A.I.

Bill Winters, the CEO of Standard Chartered Bank, this week told reporters that he’ll be replacing what he called “lower-value human capital” with A.I.

That quickly drew attention — did he mean he’ll be sacking workers deemed low value to the bank, or did he mean that Standard Chartered views human workers as being less valuable than highly-productive A.I.?

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Winters subsequently tried to explain that he was referring to changes in the workplace and not to the value of workers.

However, the remark continued swirling on social media, leading to Winters eventually apologizing for his choice of words.

This incident is a reminder to all corporate leaders that this A.I.-fueled industrial revolution is unique and will impact millions of Americans across the economic spectrum — not just blue-collar workers but white-collar workers as well.

We haven’t seen anything like this in all of human history.

So for those in the C-suite, it’s worth considering that, while you don’t necessarily need to throw out your A.I. plans, this moment merits a little bit of sensitivity and a little bit of empathy.

And when jobs are on the line, think before you speak — especially before calling workers “lower-value human capital.”

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