Google’s AI development just hit a human roadblock, as over 200 contractors who train its models have been laid off. The move comes amid a bitter fight over low pay, poor working conditions, and claims that their unionizing efforts were actively suppressed.
The humans behind the AI are being fired
The magic behind Google’s Gemini and AI Overviews isn’t just code; it’s people with expertise. But now, many of those people are out of a job after being laid off without warning from GlobalLogic, a company Google outsources its AI rating work to.
One laid-off worker, Andrew Lauzon, said he was simply “cut off” and told it was due to a “ramp-down on the project.” Workers allege these layoffs are a direct retaliation for their attempts to unionize and demand better conditions, which they claim were actively quashed by the company.
The invisible foundation of the AI boom is shaky
Image credit — Pexels
This isn’t just another corporate layoff; it pulls back the curtain on the often-hidden human labor that powers the entire AI industry. These are skilled individuals doing the critical work of teaching AI models, preventing them from going off the rails. When confronted, Google distanced itself, with a spokesperson stating the workers “are employees of GlobalLogic or their subcontractors, not Alphabet.”
This kind of layered employment structure is common in the tech industry, creating distance between the core company and the day-to-day conditions of contract workers. It begs the question: are we building the future of technology on the back of an underpaid and ultimately disposable workforce?
AI’s ‘magic’ has a human cost
We’re constantly sold the futuristic dream of intelligent AI, but the reality is that it’s propped up by people in precarious jobs who can become expendable cogs in a machine.
The idea of laying off the very experts who ensure your flagship AI product is high-quality—especially while they are fighting for fair pay—is an incredibly bad look. While Google’s statement that they aren’t the direct employer is technically true, I personally feel like there’s more that can be done here.
Hopefully, these workers are able to land on their feet elsewhere.
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