Google fires employees in charge after AI destroys search results

In the midst of a widespread tech company downsizing in favor of AI, Google is letting go of thousands of contractors responsible for improving its flagship search engine.

According to Vice, the announcement of Google terminating its contract with Appen, a data training firm using thousands of low-paid gig workers in developing countries to maintain Google’s search algorithm, coincidentally follows a recent study revealing a significant decline in the quality of the search engine’s results over the past few years.

In late 2022, journalist Cory Doctorow came up with the term “enshittification” to describe the noticeable decline in the quality of various online tools. He argued that this deterioration was intentional, as tech giants aimed to squeeze more and more money out of their user bases.

In a Wired article published last January, Google Search was a prime example the writer used to illustrate the enshittification effect. As the recent study from Germany revealed, this effect can indeed be quantified.

As CEOs rush into the AI gold rush, cutting jobs left and right, the termination of the Appen contract is especially harsh. It’s not just about how bad Google Search has become but also about the difficult circumstances for people employed by the Australia-based AI training firm.

In a startling revelation from last October, Wired exposed that individuals trying to make a living through gig work for Appen often earn as little as two cents per training task. During slow periods, they might only bring in a dollar or two per day. Describing the experience, one young man in Pakistan likened working for the company to “digital slavery.”

As the union representing employees at Alphabet, Google’s parent company, mentioned in a recent press release, the termination of the contract will affect a minimum of 2,000 workers, and potentially even more, considering that “contracts with Google account for roughly one-third of Appen’s business revenues.”

As Google eagerly invests billions in AI, the Alphabet union highlights that the company opted to end the Appen contract without offering any severance benefits. There’s a lack of “transparency or accountability” regarding the decision-making process, according to the union.

As Google eagerly invests billions in AI, the Alphabet union highlights that the company opted to end the Appen contract without offering any severance benefits. There’s a lack of “transparency or accountability” regarding the decision-making process, according to the union.