After January's Mass Layoffs, Amazon's Job Cuts Now Hit Its AGI Team

Amazon on Wednesday cut jobs within its artificial general intelligence (AGI) group, the latest in a series of smaller reductions across the company since a much larger layoff in January, Reuters reported.

Artificial general intelligence refers to a hypothetical AI system that could surpass human intelligence and operate autonomously. Several major AI companies are currently working to build such systems, with the goal of eventually using them to solve complex problems.

An Amazon spokesperson told Reuters that the company has been building large AI models for several years and considers it one of its most important areas of work. "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 spokesperson said.

Leadership Changes Preceded The Cuts

The layoffs follow a string of leadership exits from Amazon's AGI division. Rohit Prasad, a senior Amazon executive who oversaw AGI work, left the company at the end of last year. David Luan, who headed Amazon's AGI Lab, departed in February.

In December, Amazon had consolidated its AGI work under senior vice president Peter DeSantis, as part of a larger group that also includes the company's silicon development and quantum computing teams.

Employees working under Adeeb Shanaa, vice president of AGI data services, and Vishal Sharma, vice president of AGI information, said on online forums on Wednesday that they were affected by the layoffs. The exact scale of the cuts could not immediately be confirmed.

Amazon has invested heavily in AI over the past several years, including in the infrastructure needed to train and run advanced AI systems. The company's latest statement indicates that the job cuts are meant to consolidate resources around specific projects, rather than signal a reduced focus on AI overall.

This round of layoffs follows a much larger reduction in January, when Amazon cut around 16,000 jobs across the company as part of a broader effort to streamline its operations. Compared to that reduction, the latest cuts are more narrowly targeted, affecting teams working on some of Amazon's most advanced AI technologies.

It is not yet clear which specific teams or projects within the AGI group have been affected, or whether Amazon plans further reductions in the division.

The layoffs come as large technology companies continue to invest heavily in artificial intelligence, while at the same time reviewing costs and restructuring their workforces.