Google is implementing job cuts within its ad sales division, targeting “hundreds of employees,” according to Business Insider. The layoffs primarily affect the Large Customer Sales (LCS) team, responsible for serving the company’s biggest advertisers. The move comes as no surprise, as reports earlier this month mentioned impending layoffs in Google’s Ad division due to the rising prominence of artificial intelligence (AI).
The Information previously outlined that AI would be replacing many positions within Google’s Ad division. The advent of generative AI features within Google Ads, such as a natural-language chatbot and an autonomous ad asset creation system, has rendered human involvement unnecessary in tasks like product sales guidance, art asset creation, and decision-making regarding text and layouts. Google’s generative AI ad system, known as “Performance Max,” operates by continuously refining and adjusting ads using click-through rates as immediate feedback.
These layoffs represent a broader trend of downsizing at Google since the previous year. Just last week, “hundreds” of employees were laid off in the hardware, Google Assistant, and AR divisions. Prior to that, layoffs occurred in Google News, recruiting, Waze, Waymo, as well as various other areas throughout the company.
The staff memo, sent by Philipp Schindler, Google’s chief business officer, announcing the layoffs, does not explicitly cite AI as the reason behind the job cuts. However, considering the earlier reports, it appears that AI is displacing certain positions within the company. This development foreshadows a potential wave of layoffs across the industry as generative AI technology continues to advance.
The source of the article is from the blog exofeed.nl