Amazon lays off staff in artificial general intelligence unit

'Difficult' decision comes as Amazon channels focus on initiatives that 'matter most' for customers

Amazon is laying off employees in its artificial general intelligence (AGI) unit in a fresh round of cuts after a major workforce reduction earlier this year, according to reports.

The layoffs were first reported by Reuters, which the tech giant later confirmed to the media.

"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 told Reuters.

"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 organisation."

Amazon did not provide an exact number of affected employees, according to the reports. But LinkedIn posts reported by CNBC showed that impacted employees involved those who were focused on model customisation and post-training.

AGI refers to a kind of AI with capabilities that "rival those of a human," according to McKinsey & Company. The technology is expected to replicate human-like cognitive abilities, such as reasoning, problem-solving, perception, learning, and language comprehension.

Amazon's career website indicates more than 100 open jobs at its AGI unit.

"At Amazon Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), you'll be at the heart of AI innovation, whether you're working on our latest state-of-the-art frontier models or building core capabilities that enable AI agents to take actions in the digital and physical worlds," its website read.

The cuts at Amazon follow the huge reduction of approximately 16,000 roles that it announced in January.

Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology at Amazon, said in the announcement the company has been making efforts to reduce layers, increase ownership, and remove bureaucracy.

"While we're making these changes, we'll also continue hiring and investing in strategic areas and functions that are critical to our future," Galetti said. "We're still in the early stages of building every one of our businesses and there's significant opportunity ahead."