Facepalm: If there’s one factor you possibly can say about Microsoft, it is that the corporate’s executives can present a shocking lack of self-awareness. The newest comedically inappropriate LinkedIn publish from considered one of these staff was for positions at Xbox graphics — that includes a really unhealthy AI-generated picture.
Principal Growth Lead for Xbox Graphics, Mike Matsel, shared the “Xbox Graphics Is Hiring” publish on the skilled social networking platform. It seems to be a generic cartoon-style picture full with the Xbox emblem, however the lady appears to be utilizing a type of fancy screens which have their show on the rear as a substitute of (or in addition to?) the entrance. She additionally seems to be paying extra consideration to the floating emblem than the rest.
The picture is, after all, AI-generated. There are many different tell-tale indicators, just like the unnatural shading on her high, bizarre keyboard, and the headphones she’s utilizing look an terrible lot like they’re from Apple (and only a few folks nonetheless use wired ones).
The vast majority of the posts are criticisms of the advert itself. “They did not even overview the AI picture, whereas Microsoft says AI is the longer term it creates slop like this,” wrote one particular person. “You are the lead of the Xbox GRAPHICS crew and did not discover you posted a picture the place virtually every thing is unsuitable (together with, ethically talking, using AI) ? Why would anybody apply to be in your crew?” wrote one other.
Individuals have not failed to spotlight the truth that Microsoft has simply laid off 9,000 staff – its fourth spherical of layoffs in 18 months – together with many from the Xbox division. This brings Microsoft’s whole layoffs since 2023 to over 20,000, but it’s investing $80 billion into AI infrastructure over the subsequent fiscal yr. It has been reported that workers at Sweet Crush-maker King, a part of Microsoft’s gaming division, have been changed by the AI instruments they helped construct.
This is not the primary time a Microsoft worker has been slammed for an AI-related LinkedIn publish. Matt Turnbull, Government Producer at Xbox Video games Studio Publishing, wrote a publish that suggested anybody who had misplaced or was dropping their job to make use of AI instruments, together with Microsoft’s personal Copilot, for emotional help, profession planning, and resume assist. The message was met with much more vitriol than Matsel’s, which is why Turnbull rapidly deleted it.
Many shoppers proceed to push again exhausting in opposition to using AI in any kind, regardless of how a lot corporations attempt to ram it down the general public’s throats. The mission to unfold the “it is a profit to humanity” narrative is not serving to when the expertise is making so many individuals jobless. The newest instance is at Glassdoor and Certainly, the place 1,300 employees are being laid off as a direct results of AI.
