Amazon has laid off employees in its Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) division as the company continues restructuring its artificial intelligence business while prioritising key strategic projects.
The job cuts, announced on Wednesday, are the latest in a series of workforce reductions following Amazon’s larger layoffs earlier this year.
An Amazon spokesperson said the company remains committed to developing advanced AI systems but is refocusing resources on projects considered most important to customers.
“We’ve been building large AI models for several years, and it remains one of the most important things we’re working on,” the spokesperson said.
“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.”
Artificial General Intelligence refers to AI systems capable of learning and performing tasks at or beyond human-level intelligence, an area attracting significant investment from leading technology companies.
The restructuring follows a series of leadership changes within Amazon’s AI business. Rohit Prasad, who previously led the AGI unit, left the company late last year, while AGI Lab head David Luan departed in February.
Amazon consolidated its AGI operations under Senior Vice President Peter DeSantis in December, combining the business with the company’s silicon development and quantum computing teams.
Employees within teams led by Vice Presidents Adeeb Shanaa and Vishal Sharma reported being affected by the latest cuts, although Amazon has not disclosed the total number of roles eliminated.
The company laid off about 16,000 employees across multiple business units in January as part of broader cost-cutting measures while continuing to invest heavily in artificial intelligence.
