Amazon Cuts Jobs in Artificial General Intelligence Unit to Sharpen AI Focus
Amazon on Wednesday eliminated some roles within its artificial general intelligence (AGI) group, the company confirmed. The move is part of a series of smaller workforce reductions following a larger cut in January.
Artificial general intelligence is a hypothetical AI system that would surpass human intelligence and operate autonomously. Many leading AI companies are working to develop such systems to solve complex problems.
“We've been building large AI models for several years, and it remains one of the most important things we're working on,” an Amazon spokesperson said. “We're sharpening our focus on the initiatives that matter most for customers, so we can move faster on what counts. That focus means some difficult decisions, including eliminating some roles within parts of our AGI organization.”
The company did not specify the number of affected employees. The cuts are the latest in a series of smaller reductions across the company since Amazon laid off about 18,000 workers in January, primarily in its retail and human resources divisions.