Hundreds of workers in Ireland, dedicated to refining Meta’s advanced AI models, are now facing job uncertainty. Documents obtained by WIRED confirm that these individuals have been notified of potential layoffs, marking a significant development in the ongoing tech industry shifts.
The affected employees work for Covalen, a Dublin-based firm that provides crucial content moderation and data labeling services for Meta. This news arrives amidst broader economic pressures and Meta’s strategic re-prioritizations, impacting a workforce vital to AI development.
Meta’s AI Refinement Workforce Faces Cuts
The announcement regarding these layoffs was delivered during a brief video meeting on Monday afternoon, where employees were reportedly not given the opportunity to ask questions. Nick Bennett, one of the affected employees, described a palpable sense of apprehension before the call, noting that similar situations have occurred previously.
In total, over 700 Covalen employees could lose their jobs, according to an email reviewed by WIRED. Approximately 500 of these roles are data annotators, whose primary responsibility involves meticulously checking material generated by Meta’s AI models against company policies regarding dangerous and illicit content. One anonymous Covalen employee starkly summarized their role: “It’s essentially training the AI to take over our jobs. We take actions as the perfect decision for the AI to emulate.”
The work itself is often demanding and psychologically taxing. Tasks can include developing complex prompts to test and bypass guardrails designed to prevent AI models from generating content related to child sexual abuse material or suicide. Bennett described the nature of this work as “quite a grueling job,” emphasizing the difficult scenarios workers must simulate.
Understanding the Broader Context of Meta’s Layoffs
These job cuts at Covalen align with Meta’s recent announcement last week of plans to reduce its workforce by one in ten positions, part of a company-wide initiative to boost efficiency. While a memo circulated by Meta cited a need to increase spending on other business aspects, it did not explicitly mention AI.
However, Meta has recently indicated plans to nearly double its investment in AI technology, suggesting a strategic pivot. In January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed his belief that “2026 is going to be the year that AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work.” The email received by Covalen employees simply attributed the layoffs to “reduced demand and operational requirements.”
The Impact and Future for Affected Workers
This latest round of layoffs is not Covalen’s first in recent months; the company also announced job cuts in November, impacting around 400 positions and leading to a worker strike. The Communications Workers’ Union (CWU), which represents some Covalen staff, estimates that between these two rounds, Covalen’s headcount in Dublin will be almost halved.
Compounding the challenge, affected Covalen workers will face a six-month “cooldown period” during which they are barred from applying to competing Meta vendors. This restriction, highlighted by the CWU, further complicates their job search, with one anonymous employee describing the situation as “undignified” and “rude.”
Unions representing these employees are actively pushing for Covalen to engage in negotiations regarding severance terms. They also aim to meet with the Irish government to discuss the broader implications of AI on the national workforce. Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union, stressed the need for worker organization: “Tech companies are treating the workers whose labor and data helped build AI as disposable.”
Hoffman advocated for critical protections, including advanced notice about AI implementation, employment-linked training, and clear future plans for workers. She also emphasized the right for workers to refuse training their AI replacements. However, some workers, like Bennett, express pessimism about securing stable employment in a rapidly evolving labor market reshaped by AI, viewing it as a “universal battle between downtrodden white collar workers and big capital.”
Source: Wired – AI
