Over 700 Meta workers who trained AI face layoffs amid restructuring

Over 700 Meta workers who trained AI face layoffs as the company shifts resources toward its AI push. The workers are employed by Covalen, a Meta contractor based in Dublin, who were told they may lose their jobs in a brief video meeting on Monday afternoon. Notably, attendees were not allowed to ask questions during the meeting. Covalen performs key tasks for Meta, including content moderation and data labeling—crucial steps that help AI models learn to recognize and process information. Of the more than 700 affected, about 500 are data annotation specialists responsible for checking AI-generated content against Meta’s strict rules on dangerous or illegal content. An anonymous employee said their job was essentially “teaching AI how to replace itself.” They must provide precise feedback so the model can imitate human behavior accurately. The layoffs come as a paradox: Meta has announced plans to cut roughly 10% of its workforce to boost efficiency. A internal memo shows the company is reallocating resources to other areas, notably AI. Although the memo does not directly mention AI, Meta has recently said it will nearly double its budget for the AI domain. Earlier, in January, CEO Mark Zuckerberg forecasted 2026 would be the year AI would begin to dramatically change how we work. The paradox lies in pushing AI while cutting the very workers who contribute to building the foundation for this technology. Covalen has carried out layoffs before: the firm announced plans to cut about 400 staff in November, triggering a strike. According to the Communications Workers Union (CWU), after two rounds of cuts, Covalen’s Dublin workforce could be reduced by almost half. Not only do workers face the threat of losing their jobs, but they are also limited in their ability to find new roles. CWU says affected employees must observe a six-month waiting period during which they cannot apply to competing Meta suppliers. This has provoked anger and resentment. Labor unions are pressing Covalen to negotiate severance terms and are calling on the Irish government to assess the impact of AI on the labor market. Christy Hoffmann, General Secretary of UNI Global Union, warned that tech companies see workers as a resource easily replaced, even though they contribute labor and data to building AI. She emphasized that workers should be involved in implementing AI, retrained, and have the right to refuse training for technologies that could replace them. Meanwhile, many workers remain pessimistic about the future. They argue the labor market is being rapidly reshaped by AI and big tech firms, where the balance of power shifts toward the corporations. Bennett argued: “This is effectively a common battle between oppressed knowledge workers and big capital, and this battle is one-sided.” Meta and Covalen have not yet responded officially to the matter. Source: Wired.