Uber Technologies, Inc. (UBER.US) cuts 10% of customer service positions, stating that they will fully embrace artificial intelligence.

Uber Technologies, Inc. (UBER.US) announced that they have cut 10% of their staff in the customer service department as part of their strategy to streamline their organization and fully embrace artificial intelligence (AI). The company announced a plan to cut staff in the community operations team on Wednesday. A spokesperson for Uber Technologies, Inc. stated in an email that the company is focused on "simplifying operational processes, enhancing offline team collaboration, and continuing to deepen the application of AI technology." The spokesperson also revealed that team members who were previously working remotely have been asked to move to the Hub Group, Inc. Class A office to align with Uber Technologies, Inc.'s return to office policy. Megha Yethatika, Vice President of Global Community Operations at Uber Technologies, Inc., admitted in an internal memo to the department on Wednesday, "Our organizational structure has become too complex and siloed." She noted that the department has made some progress in AI applications, "but to fully unleash the potential of this technology, we need to establish a more efficient organizational structure to support the deep implementation of AI. Scalability of cutting-edge technology cannot be achieved on top of fragmented processes." In recent months, from financial services companies like Block (XYZ.US) to cloud computing giant Oracle Corporation (ORCL.US), more and more companies are considering AI as a significant factor in layoffs. This is the first time that Uber Technologies, Inc. has explicitly linked layoffs to AI efficiency, marking the second round of personnel adjustments in less than two months to simplify the team structure. In June of this year, after the new CEO took office, Uber Technologies, Inc. laid off 23% of its so-called "HR Department" employees, accounting for less than 1% of its global total of 34,000 employees. Uber Technologies, Inc. did not disclose the specific size of their customer service team. In May of this year, Uber Technologies, Inc. stated that they would slow down hiring due to widespread internal use of AI. However, the company's official recruitment page currently lists over 500 positions, including engineering positions needed to support the autonomous taxi partnership project.