Microsoft advises staff members to learn AI in order to maintain their jobs
This year, Microsoft, a technology company, has fired more than 15,000 workers in several rounds. Not only that, but after the layoffs, it sent a message to other employees working in the company, saying that learning AI is no longer an option; it is a must for every employee. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) will be considered an important indicator in evaluating the skills of employees.
Judson Althoff, Microsoft's executive vice president of sales, said, "We want to make Microsoft a next-generation AI company." Our goal is to deploy co-pilot technology in every device and every task."
Julia Lewison, president of Microsoft's developer division, said that how proficient employees are in using AI will become a key component of performance evaluation in the future. Proficiency in AI technology is no longer an added advantage; it is a central part of every responsibility and position.
Microsoft has invested about $80 billion in building AI infrastructure in the current fiscal year. After investing a huge amount of money, Microsoft is reducing institutional costs and making changes to its workforce structure. And so, Microsoft has made at least four major layoffs since January. The company fired about 9,000 people earlier this month. A large part of the employees who have gone are members of the Xbox gaming department and sales team.
According to a report by Business Insider, Microsoft plans to add some AI-based indicators (metrics) to the annual performance review of employees. This may be introduced on a pilot basis from the next fiscal year. Not only that, but several departments of the company have started working on building an AI-based workforce structure.
