Amazon cuts jobs in artificial general intelligence unit

According to CNBC, Amazon is laying off some employees in its artificial general intelligence unit as it continues to cut jobs while investing heavily in AI. The company did not say how many workers were affected or which parts of the AGI organization were hit. An Amazon spokesperson said the company is sharpening its focus on initiatives that matter most to customers and making difficult decisions, including eliminating some roles within parts of the AGI organization, while continuing to invest in areas seen as important to customers' future. Reuters first reported the layoffs. Amazon has cut more than 30,000 staffers since last October, and in 2024 its AGI group released foundation models called Nova. The company is scheduled to report second-quarter results next week and has forecast capital expenditures of $200 billion for the year, while raising tens of billions of dollars in debt to fund its AI buildout.