程序员的那些事·2025-10-06 02:41Core Viewpoint - The rise of AI models has led to significant job cuts in companies like xAI and Google, affecting many workers involved in AI evaluation and training, highlighting the disparity between expectations and reality in the AI industry [1][17]. Group 1: Job Cuts and Worker Experiences - xAI recently laid off 500 data annotation employees, while Google terminated over 200 contractors from GlobalLogic responsible for AI product quality without warning [1]. - Many outsourced employees reported harsh working conditions and low pay, feeling that they were training AI systems that ultimately replaced them [1][17]. - The role of AI evaluators, crucial for refining AI outputs, has become increasingly precarious, with many facing sudden layoffs and job insecurity [15][17]. Group 2: Nature of AI Evaluator Work - AI evaluators, categorized as "ordinary" and "super" evaluators, are responsible for reviewing AI outputs, ensuring quality and human-like responses [2][3]. - The work, initially perceived as creative, often devolves into monotonous tasks of scoring and reviewing AI-generated content, leading to disillusionment among highly educated workers [5][10]. - Evaluators face tight deadlines, with task completion times reduced significantly, causing stress and concerns about the quality of their work [11][13]. Group 3: Compensation and Job Conditions - Compensation for AI evaluators is low, with ordinary evaluators earning $16 per hour and super evaluators starting at $21, which is disproportionate to their qualifications [8][9]. - Many evaluators work as contractors without benefits or paid leave, leading to dissatisfaction despite the high educational backgrounds of the workforce [9][10]. - The rapid expansion of the evaluator workforce has led to wage reductions, with some reporting pay cuts from $28–32 to $18–22 for similar work [8]. Group 4: Industry Response and Future Outlook - Google has distanced itself from the layoffs, stating that the employees were contractors of GlobalLogic, emphasizing the responsibility of the outsourcing company for employment conditions [17]. - The ongoing trend of layoffs in the AI sector reflects the industry's shift towards automation, raising concerns about job security for those involved in AI training and evaluation [17]. - The article suggests that workers should proactively upgrade their AI skills to adapt to the changing landscape rather than passively worrying about job loss [17].