Hundreds of workers in Ireland employed by Covalen to refine Meta’s AI models have been informed that their positions are at risk. The Dublin-based company, which handles content moderation and labeling for Meta, announced a significant round of layoffs after the tech giant cut one in ten jobs amid efforts to become more efficient.

The affected employees were told during a brief video meeting on Monday that 700 people could lose their jobs, with 500 of them being data annotators. Their role involves checking AI-generated material against Meta’s rules, essentially training the technology to replace them. One worker described it as 'quite a grueling job,' noting they often have to pretend to be a pedophile in their work.

Meta spokesperson Erica Sackin stated that the layoffs are due to reduced demand and operational requirements, even though recent plans include doubling spending on AI technology. Unions representing affected employees are pushing for better severance terms and discussions with the Irish government about AI’s impact on workers.

These latest cuts follow a November round of job reductions at Covalen, which saw around 400 staff lose their jobs, leading to a worker strike. The union argues that tech companies are treating these employees as disposable, highlighting the need for better notice and training linked to employment in an AI-driven market.

The search for new work is made difficult by a six-month cooldown period during which laid-off workers cannot apply to Meta’s other vendors. Covalen did not respond to requests for comment. Some workers are skeptical about their future prospects, seeing a battle between downtrodden white-collar employees and big capital.