Ron Vachris rose through Costco from a teenage forklift operator. Now as CEO he stands before business leaders and delivers a message that cuts against the grain of much of corporate America. Artificial intelligence does not replace people at his company. It lifts them into better roles. “We’ve not displaced people because the business is growing at a faster rate,” Vachris told the audience at The Economic Club of Chicago earlier this month. “Those employees who were doing those tasks before have now elevated up to more of a forward-thinking role.” The remarks come at a moment when many executives cite AI as reason enough to shrink headcount. Tech giants have trimmed thousands of positions. Retail peers experiment with automation that reduces the need for store associates. Vachris offers a different view. And Costco’s numbers back him up. The warehouse club operator employs more than 341,000 people worldwide. Its turnover rate sits near 7 percent. More than 55 percent of U.S.…