General Motors is laying off IT workers to hire people who specialize in AI

"GM is transforming its Information Technology organization to better position the company for the future. As part of that work, we have made the difficult decision to eliminate certain roles globally. We are grateful for the contributions of the employees affected and are committed to supporting them through this transition."

"The layoffs are reportedly impacting about 600 employees, or about 10% of the IT team, and the job cuts are partly designed to allow the company to bring on new employees with specific AI skills. General Motors is still hiring IT employees, but only those with the type of skills that would allow them to actually build AI systems rather than simply having the ability to use AI to be more productive."

"According to a CNBC report, General Motors employees claimed they were notified about the job losses through a scripted video meeting with HR and were not given the opportunity to ask questions. General Motors, for its part, has said little about why these layoffs were necessary, unlike the myriad employers who now explicitly reference AI."

"Over 200 salaried employees at General Motors were laid off in the fall, along with about a thousand cuts to software jobs back in 2024. (A round of sweeping job cuts last year also affected thousands of factory workers.) Each week, yet another company justifies layoffs by citing AI, as tech companies sink endless resources into shoring up their AI investments."

General Motors is eliminating hundreds of IT roles, affecting roughly 600 employees or about 10% of its IT team. The company says the layoffs are part of a broader transformation of its information technology organization to position the company for the future. The job cuts are intended to make room for new hires with specific skills needed to build AI systems. General Motors has confirmed the layoffs and stated it is supporting affected employees through the transition. The company is still hiring IT employees, but those hires are focused on AI-related capabilities. Prior layoffs at GM included software job cuts and earlier reductions across other areas. Some employees reported being notified through a scripted HR video meeting without time for questions.

Read at Fast Company