Google is reportedly planning to lay off 30,000 staff members due to new artificial intelligence (AI) innovations.
The world’s leading search engine and technology company has decided to restructure its sales unit, as AI tools can now create and suggest ads for its clients with minimal human intervention.
According to a report by The Information, many job roles in Google‘s ad sales department are becoming redundant after Google introduced new AI tools. These tools can give suggestions as well as create ads for its clients that have the capability of performing well. The ads require next to zero human involvement and can operate entirely autonomously.
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The report also stated that Google is considering reassigning some of the employees in the sales unit to other roles within the company, such as customer support, product development, or cloud services. However, this may not be enough to accommodate all the affected workers, and some may have to face layoffs.
The ad sales department is one of the largest and most profitable segments of Google, accounting for more than 80% of its revenue in 2022. However, the company is also actively engaged in advancing its AI model, not just for external applications but also for its operational structure.
Google has not officially confirmed or denied the report, but a spokesperson said that the company is “always looking for ways to improve our processes and optimize our resources.” The spokesperson also added that Google is “committed to supporting our employees and providing them with opportunities for growth and development.”
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The news of the potential layoffs has sparked concern among Google’s employees, as well as the wider tech industry and the public. Some have questioned the ethical and social implications of replacing human workers with AI, while others have expressed sympathy for the affected staff.
Google is not the only tech giant that is experimenting with AI and its impact on the workforce. Earlier this year, Amazon announced that it would offer $10,000 and three months of pay to some of its employees who quit and start their delivery businesses, as part of its effort to automate its delivery network with drones and robots. Facebook, meanwhile, has been using AI to moderate and remove harmful content from its platform but has also faced criticism for its lack of transparency and accountability.
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AI is widely regarded as the next frontier of innovation and growth in the tech sector, but it also poses significant challenges and risks for human workers who may be displaced or marginalized by it. As Google and other tech companies continue to explore the possibilities and limitations of AI, they will also have to address the ethical and social consequences of their decisions.
We hope that Google‘s new AI Ad tools do not result in laying off any of their employees.
