Amazon's AGI department finds humans are optional

ai and ml

AI remains its biggest bet, Bezos brigade tells El Reg, even as another round of layoffs reaches the teams building it

Amazon may be spending billions on AI, but that hasn't stopped it from cutting jobs inside the very organization building it.

The megacorp confirmed to The Register on Thursday that it has eliminated an undisclosed number of roles across parts of its Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) biz, even as it insists AI remains a key priority.

The cuts are the latest in a restructuring that has seen Amazon shed more than 30,000 employees since October – including 16,000 announced in January – while pouring cash into AI infrastructure, custom silicon, and foundation models, with $200 billion in capex projected for 2026.

"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 The Register. "This is a fast-moving space, and 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, even as we continue to invest in the areas most important to our customers' future. We're committed to supporting impacted employees through their transition and we're grateful for their contributions," the spokesperson added. 

Amazon hasn't said how many people were affected or exactly which teams were hit. Employees posting publicly said the layoffs reached groups working on model customization and post-training, with some reporting cuts of around 10 percent. Reuters separately reported that the layoffs also affected teams led by AGI Data Services vice president Adeeb Shanaa and AGI Information vice president Vishal Sharma.

The move lands less than a year after Amazon overhauled its AI leadership, with longtime executive Peter DeSantis taking charge of the AGI organization as the company moved to accelerate development of its Nova family of foundation models and broader generative AI strategy.

If there's a contradiction in laying off AI workers while telling investors AI is the company's future, Amazon doesn't see one. Building the future, it seems, doesn't guarantee you'll be around to see it. ®