AI job threat: Google has now fired hundreds of employees in the advertising sales team

(Reuters) – Google is laying off hundreds of employees in its ad sales team, the Alphabet-owned company said on Tuesday, marking the latest cuts at the search giant.

The move signals that job cuts will continue this year, as companies look to adopt artificial intelligence software and automation to lighten workloads.

Last week, Google said it would lay off several employees in its voice assistant units, the hardware teams responsible for the Pixel, Nest and Fitbit, as well as its augmented reality team.

Google’s Customer Solutions unit, which serves mid-tier advertiser customers, will be the core team to drive growth, the company said.

Business Insider first reported this news earlier in the day.

Amazon.com also said last week that it would lay off several hundred employees in its streaming and studio operations and 500 at its video streaming platform, Twitch.

Last month, Google – once considered a leader in promoting AI research – unveiled its long-awaited AI model Gemini, as the company attempts to catch Microsoft in the AI ​​race.

In January 2023, Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)