Google Lays Off 200 Contract Workers Involved in AI Testing

Google has laid off about 200 contract workers who were helping to test and improve its AI products, according to a report by Wired.

The layoffs happened in two rounds last month. Many of the workers said they were targeted after protesting poor working conditions and low pay. They also claimed they were forced to train AI systems that would eventually replace their jobs.

Most of these employees worked for Hitachi-owned Global Logic. Their main tasks included training Google’s Gemini chatbot to make it respond more naturally and working on a web browser feature called “AI overviews” that summarizes search queries.

Internal documents showed Google used human evaluators to teach AI how to judge the quality of its answers. This means fewer humans would be needed in the future.

Some workers still at Google expressed fears about “training their replacements.” The jobs required advanced degrees like master’s or PhDs, and many workers came from creative fields such as teaching and writing.

Employees also complained about sudden job cuts, unfair pay, and extra work without raises. They were under strict time limits, sometimes only five minutes per task, and warned they could lose their jobs if they didn’t meet deadlines.

Workers’ attempts to form unions were reportedly blocked. Online spaces used for organizing and socializing were restricted, and one worker said they were fired after filing a complaint.

Additionally, Google pressured some workers to quit by ordering them back to the office, even if they had disabilities or caregiving responsibilities that made it difficult.