Google Set To Fire 30,000 Employees For AI Replacement

       Google reportedly wants to make space for AI jobs by reassigning employees in sales unit.

According to a further report, AI advancements within Google may lead to job displacement, prompting the company to consider staff consolidation and potential layoffs by reassigning employees in the customer sales unit, responsible for managing relationships with major advertisers.

Here are the details.

The Justice Department has accused Alphabet’s Google of paying $10 billion annually to device makers like Apple, wireless companies like AT&T, and browser makers like Mozilla to keep its search engine’s market share at around 90 per cent.

In a bid to embrace the increasing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in its operations, Google is reportedly contemplating a substantial reorganization within its 30,000-person ad sales unit.

This move, however, has sparked concerns about potential job cuts, particularly following Google’s recent layoffs that affected over 12,000 employees in 2023.

This restructuring aligns with Google’s growing reliance on machine-learning techniques to streamline ad purchases across its various platforms.

Over the years, the tech giant has introduced AI-powered tools designed to automate the creation of new ads, contributing significantly to its annual revenue, estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars.

The efficiency of these tools, coupled with minimal employee involvement, results in high-profit margins

The decision to automate certain roles was reportedly disclosed during a department-wide Google Ads meeting.

In May, Google unveiled a “new era of AI-powered ads,” introducing a natural-language conversational experience within Google Ads. This initiative aims to simplify ad campaign creation by leveraging AI to scan websites and automatically generate keywords, headlines, descriptions, images, and other assets.

One noteworthy AI-powered ad tool, Performance Max (PMax), received enhancements post-May, showcasing generative AI capabilities to create and scale custom assets efficiently.

PMax assists advertisers in determining optimal ad placements across various Google Ads channels, autonomously generating ad content based on website scans.

This dynamic AI-driven approach allows continuous ad remixing in real-time, adapting to click-through rates and optimizing performance.

As AI tools like PMax gain popularity among advertisers, a reduction in the need for human intervention in ad design and sales is noticeable. The cost-effectiveness of AI tools, requiring minimal employee attention, enhances the profitability of ad revenue.

The anticipated reorganization is expected to impact a significant portion of the ad division’s workforce. The report stated that there were approximately 13,500 individuals dedicated to sales work as of a year ago.

While the extent of the impact remains uncertain, potential reassignments of roles within Google are tipped.

Official announcements regarding the scale and specifics of the restructuring are said to take place in the coming month, leaving employees bracing for potential changes in roles and responsibilities during this transformative phase.