Google Lays Off Over 200 AI Contractors: Report
Tech giant Google has reportedly laid off more than 200 contractors working on its artificial intelligence projects, including Gemini and AI Overviews.
- Date & Time:
- |
- Views: 36
- |
- From: India News Bull
More than 200 contractors suddenly lost access to their work. (File)
New Delhi:
Google has reportedly terminated contracts for over 200 contractors who were working on artificial intelligence initiatives, including Gemini and AI Overviews.
This action has sparked worries about employment stability, inadequate compensation, and potential retaliation against union organizing activities.
According to 'WIRED' reporting, the terminations occurred in at least two separate waves last month with minimal or no advance notification. Multiple contractors reported being abruptly disconnected from their work assignments.
"I was just cut off," explained Andrew Lauzon, a contractor who reportedly received an email on August 15 stating his contract had been terminated.
Lauzon, who began working at Hitachi-owned GlobalLogic in March 2024, had been involved in training Google's Gemini chatbot and other AI tools.
"I asked for a reason, and they said ramp-down on the project -- whatever that means. How are we supposed to feel secure in this employment when we know we could go at any moment?" he continued.
Many of these contractors reportedly possessed advanced academic credentials including master's degrees and PhDs, and were part of a specialized group called "super raters."
Their responsibilities included refining AI-generated responses to make them more natural-sounding and factually accurate.
Workers informed 'WIRED' that their contributions were essential to developing Google's AI offerings, including the AI Overviews feature that provides summaries of search results.
"We as raters play an incredibly vital role," stated Alex, a generalist rater employed by GlobalLogic.
"The engineers are not going to have the time to fine-tune and get the feedback they need for the bot. We're like the lifeguards on the beach -- we're there to make sure nothing bad happens," Alex elaborated.
Google has reportedly denied direct involvement in the layoffs, emphasizing that the affected individuals were employed by GlobalLogic or its subcontractors.
"These individuals are employees of GlobalLogic or their subcontractors, not Alphabet," Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini was quoted as saying.
"As the employers, GlobalLogic and their subcontractors are responsible for the employment and working conditions of their employees," Mencini added.
The reported job cuts come as Google continues substantial investments in AI to compete with rivals such as OpenAI and Microsoft.