The news broke during a brief videoconference, without the possibility of asking questions. More than 700 employees of the company Covalen, an Irish service provider working on behalf of Meta, learned that their jobs were under threat. This wave of reductions is part of a broader strategy by the tech giant, aiming to massively redirect its investments towardsartificial intelligenceeven if it means sacrificing the human resources that enabled its emergence.
How have employees trained their own replacement?
The heart of the mission of the majority of those involved, approximately 500 data annotatorswas paradoxical. Their job was to refine the AI models of Meta by simulating malicious or disturbing behaviorsuch as those of pedophiles or suicidal people, to test and strengthen the safeguards of algorithms. A work described as “ exhausting » by the employees themselves.
An anonymous employee sums up the situation with cynicism tinged with realism: “ In reality, we are training the AI to take our place “. This thankless but essential task directly contributed to making AI systems sufficiently efficient to, ultimately, render their own unnecessary trainers.
What is Meta’s official justification for this decision?
Officially, Covalen mentioned a “ decline in demand and operational needs » among its employees. However, Meta’s communication is much more direct. A spokeswoman made it clear that the company would deploy more advanced AI systems to transform its approach to content moderation.
This strategy aims to “ reduce our dependence on third-party providers and strengthen our internal systems “. Clearly, themassive investment in AIwhich is expected to reach $135 billion by 2026, is forcing the company to rationalize its costs in other areas, and subcontracting contracts are the first to pay the price, causing many layoffs.
What are the consequences for workers and the sector?
For laid-off employees, the search for a new job is complicated by a severance clause « cooling period » six monthsprohibiting them from applying to another Meta subcontractor. Unions, such as the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU), denounce a situation where workers are treated as “ disposable ».
This case is not isolated and illustrates a basic trend in the technology sector. Companies are redirecting their budgets towards AI, causing waves of job cuts in sectors deemed automatable. This situation raises urgent questions about theAI impact on the labor market and the need for government intervention to supervise these transitions.
