Meta is laying off 700+ workers at contractor Covalen in Dublin who refine the company's AI models through data annotation and content moderation. Roughly 500 data annotators check AI-generated content against safety rules and test guardrails through adversarial prompting. The layoffs are part of Meta's broader efficiency-driven workforce cuts announced last week, even as the company plans to nearly double AI spending.
Strategy
‘It’s Undignified’: Hundreds of Workers Training Meta’s AI Could Be Laid Off
Meta eliminates 700+ data annotators at contractor Covalen while doubling AI spending, signaling a strategic shift from human-dependent model training toward full automation of safety testing and content refinement.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026 12:00 PM UTC2 MIN READSOURCE: WIRED AIBY sys://pipeline
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