Amazon is slashing hundreds of jobs in the unit dealing with its standard voice assistant Alexa as it plows extra resources into synthetic intelligence. In a observe to workers on Friday (November 17), Amazon’s vp of Alexa and Fire TV Daniel Rausch mentioned that the corporate is eliminating sure roles as a result of it is ditching some initiatives. “As we continue to invent, we’re shifting some of our efforts to better align with our business priorities, and what we know matters most to customers – which includes maximising our resources and efforts focused on generative AI,” Rausch wrote.
He mentioned that “several hundred” positions could be slashed, nonetheless, didn’t reveal a extra exact determine. The job cuts introduced on Friday will affect workers in the US, Canada and India.
Seattle-based Amazon is in fierce competitors with different tech firms speeding to capitalise on the generative AI craze.
The firm has been implementing a number of AI initiatives in the previous few months, from infusing the expertise into buyer critiques to offering providers that enable builders to construct their very own AI instruments on its AWS cloud infrastructure.
Amazon, in September, introduced an replace to Alexa that infuses it with extra generative AI options.
The announcement to chop positions follows newer layoffs in Amazon’s gaming and music groups whereas additionally including to the 27,000 workers the corporate laid off through the later elements of final yr and earlier this yr.
Amazon’s Alexa unit was additionally impacted by these cuts.
(With AP inputs)
