NEW DELHI— Google has laid off more than 200 contractors working on its artificial intelligence projects, including Gemini and AI Overviews, raising fresh concerns about job security, low pay, and potential retaliation against unionization efforts, according to a WIRED report.
The layoffs reportedly took place in at least two separate rounds last month, with little or no advance notice. Several contractors said they were abruptly locked out of their work accounts.
“I was just cut off,” said Andrew Lauzon, a contractor who said he received an email on August 15 informing him his contract had ended. Lauzon, who had joined Hitachi-owned GlobalLogic in March 2024, was working on training Google’s Gemini chatbot and other AI systems.
“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 said.
The workers, many with advanced degrees including master’s and PhDs, were part of a group known as “super raters.” They were responsible for refining AI-generated responses to make them more natural and accurate. Several told WIRED their role was essential to shaping products like AI Overviews, which summarizes search results.
“We as raters play an incredibly vital role,” said 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.”
Google has distanced itself from the layoffs, stressing that the affected workers were employed by GlobalLogic or its subcontractors.
“These individuals are employees of GlobalLogic or their subcontractors, not Alphabet,” Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini said. “As the employers, GlobalLogic and their subcontractors are responsible for the employment and working conditions of their employees.”
The reported cuts come as Google ramps up its investments in AI to compete with rivals such as OpenAI and Microsoft. (Source: IANS)
