The number of workers has risen to hundreds Refining in Ireland is a task that has been assigned Meta’s AI models are being told their job is at risk because the company has embarked on a new initiative. sweeping new round of layoffsDocuments obtained by WIRED show that.
Covalen is a Dublin-based company that handles various types of products. content moderation Meta’s labeling service.
Nick Bennett said one of those on the call was not allowed to question the workers about their layoffs. “We had a pretty bad feeling [before the meeting],” “He says” “This has happened before.”
WIRED has reviewed an email that shows more than 700 Covalen employees could potentially lose their job. Around 500 people are data annotators. They check the material produced by Meta AI models. the company’s rules Delete content that is illegal or dangerous. “It’s essentially training the AI to take over our jobs,” Covalen employees claim that they are being targeted by their employers. “We take actions as the perfect decision for the AI to emulate.”
Some models will be asked to provide elaborate instructions to avoid guardrails designed to stop them serving material that could offend children, such as child sexual abuse, or describe suicide. “It’s quite a grueling job,” claims Bennett. “You spend your whole day pretending to be a pedophile.”
Meta announced plans As part of an extensive layoff program aimed at increasing the efficiency of the business, one out 10 positions will be eliminated. The memo sent out by the firm allegedly indicated that the layoffs are motivated by the need to spend more on other areas of the business. Although the memo did mention AI, recently the company has announced plans for nearly double its spending The technology. In January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “I think that 2026 is going to be the year that AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work.” WIRED found that Covalen’s employees received an email stating only that layoffs occurred as a result. “reduced demand and operational requirements.”
Covalen’s latest layoffs mark the second round in which it has reduced staff recently. Covalen laid off employees in November. announced plans for job cuts (reportedly to number around 400)It culminates in the worker strike. According to members of the Communications Workers’ Union, which includes some Covalen employees, the headcount at Covalen in Dublin will be nearly halved between the two layoff rounds.
Covalen’s affected workers will have a difficult time finding new employment due to the six-month search period. “cooldown period,” During this time, they will not be able to submit an application to a Meta vendor that is competing with them. “It’s undignified, you know,” The anonymous Covalen employee says. “It’s rude.”
Meta and Covalen didn’t immediately reply to comments.
The unions that represent the employees who are affected want Covalen enter into negotiations with regards to severance pay. The unions also want to talk to the Irish government about the impact of AI on workers. “Tech companies are treating the workers whose labor and data helped build AI as disposable,” Christy Hoffman is the general secretary of UNI Global Union. “To fight back, it’s absolutely critical that workers organize and demand notice about the introduction of AI, training linked to employment, and a plan for their futures. Workers should also have the right to refuse to train their AI replacements.”
AI is reshaping the labor market in real-time, but some people who have been laid off are unsure of their prospects of finding stable work in an environment where AI and companies that lead its development will be able to reshape it in real-time. “It’s a universal battle between downtrodden white-collar workers and big capital, really,” claims Bennett. “That normally only goes one way.”
