Future of work

Xbox projects cancelled amid Microsoft layoffs

Microsoft has confirmed plans to cut up to 9,000 jobs—roughly 4% of its global workforce—in its latest round of redundancies this year. The company cited the need to adapt to a rapidly evolving market, while pressing ahead with major investments in artificial intelligence.

Although Microsoft did not specify which divisions will be affected, reports suggest its Xbox gaming unit will face significant cuts. According to internal emails, the reboot of Perfect Dark and the game Everwild have been cancelled, and The Initiative, the studio behind Perfect Dark, will shut down.

Additional layoffs are impacting other gaming studios, including Turn 10 and ZeniMax Online Studios. ZeniMax’s long-time director Matt Firor has announced his departure. Meanwhile, Ireland’s Romero Games has also been affected after funding for its project was pulled by a publisher.

The upcoming job cuts will mark Microsoft’s fourth round of layoffs in 2025. Over 800 affected roles are based in Washington state, including in Redmond and Bellevue, key Microsoft hubs. The company is currently investing $80bn in AI infrastructure, including data centres and chips.

Microsoft’s AI push has seen it hire AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman to lead its Microsoft AI division and deepen ties with OpenAI. However, tensions have reportedly grown in that relationship. Bloomberg noted difficulty in selling Microsoft’s Copilot tool, as many users prefer ChatGPT.

At the same time, AI talent wars are heating up. Meta has reportedly offered huge bonuses to poach researchers, while Amazon’s Andy Jassy said last month that AI would eventually replace certain roles at his company.

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AI errors are creating new jobs for human experts

A growing number of writers and developers are finding steady work correcting the flawed outputs of AI systems that businesses use.

From bland marketing copy to broken website code, over-reliance on AI tools like ChatGPT is causing costly setbacks that require human intervention.

In Arizona, writer Sarah Skidd was paid $100 an hour to rewrite poor-quality website text initially produced by AI entirely.

Her experience is echoed by other professionals who now spend most of their time reworking AI content rather than writing from scratch.

UK digital agency owner Sophie Warner reports that clients increasingly use AI-generated code, which has sometimes crashed websites and left businesses vulnerable to security risks. The resulting fixes often take longer and cost more than hiring an expert.

Experts warn that businesses adopt AI too hastily, without proper infrastructure or understanding its limitations.

While AI offers benefits, poor implementation can lead to reputational damage, increased costs, and a growing dependence on professionals to clean up the mess.

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Ari Aster warns of AI’s creeping normality ahead of Eddington release

Ari Aster, the director behind Hereditary and Midsommar, is sounding the alarm on AI. In a recent Letterboxd interview promoting his upcoming A24 film Eddington, Aster described his growing unease with AI.

He framed it as a quasi-religious force reshaping reality in ways that are already irreversible. ‘If you talk to these engineers… they talk about AI as a god,’ said Aster. ‘They’re very worshipful of this thing. Whatever space there was between our lived reality and this imaginal reality — that’s disappearing.’

Aster’s comments suggest concern not just about the technology, but about the mindset surrounding its development. Eddington, set during the COVID-19 pandemic, is a neo-Western dark comedy.
It stars Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal as a sheriff and a mayor locked in a bitter digital feud.

The film reflects Aster’s fears about the dehumanising impact of modern technology. He drew from the ideas of media theorist Marshall McLuhan, referencing his phrase: ‘Man is the sex organ of the machine world.’ Aster asked, ‘Is this technology an extension of us, are we extensions of this technology, or are we here to usher it into being?’

The implication is clear: AI may not simply assist humanity—it might define it. Aster’s films often explore existential dread and loss of control. His perspective on AI taps into similar fears, but in real life. ‘The most uncanny thing about it is that it’s less uncanny than I want it to be,’ he said.

‘I see AI-generated videos, and they look like life. The longer we live in them, the more normal they become.’ The normalisation of artificial content strikes at the core of Aster’s unease. It also mirrors recent tensions in Hollywood over AI’s role in creative industries.

In 2023, WGA and SAG-AFTRA fought for protections against AI-generated scripts and likenesses. Their strike shut down the industry for months, but won language limiting AI use.

The battles highlighted the same issue Aster warns of—losing artistic agency to machines. ‘What happens when content becomes so seamless, it replaces real creativity?’ he seems to ask.

‘Something huge is happening right now, and we have no say in it,’ he said. ‘I can’t believe we’re actually going to live through this and see what happens. Holy cow.’ Eddington is scheduled for release in the United States on 18 July 2025.

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Robotics set to have a ChatGPT moment

Vinod Khosla, the venture capitalist behind early bets in OpenAI, predicts a breakthrough in robotics akin to ChatGPT will arrive within two to three years. He envisions adaptable, humanoid robots able to handle kitchen tasks, from chopping vegetables to washing dishes, for around £230 to £307 per month.

Current robots, particularly those from Chinese manufacturers, struggle in new environments and lack true self‑learning, a gap Khosla believes will soon close. He adds that while large established firms like Apple have not taken the lead, startups are where transformative innovation is most likely to come.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sees a vast future in physical AI. Huang labels the robotics sector a multitrillion‑dollar opportunity and highlights autonomous vehicles as the first major commercial application. Similarly, Amazon plans to increase hiring in AI and robotics.

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AI bots are taking your meetings for you

AI-powered note takers are increasingly filling virtual meeting rooms, sometimes even outnumbering the humans present. Workers are now sending bots to listen, record, and summarise meetings they no longer feel the need to attend themselves.

Major platforms such as Zoom, Teams and Meet offer built-in AI transcription, while startups like Otter and Fathom provide bots that quietly join meetings or listen in through users’ devices. The tools raise new concerns about privacy, consent, and the erosion of human engagement.

Some workers worry that constant recording suppresses honest conversation and makes meetings feel performative. Others, including lawyers and business leaders, point out the legal grey zones created by using these bots without full consent.

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BT launches cyber training as small businesses struggle with threats

Cyber attacks aren’t just a problem for big-name brands. Small and medium businesses are increasingly in the crosshairs, according to new research from BT and Be the Business.

Two in five SMEs have never provided cyber security training to their staff, despite a sharp increase in attacks. In the past year alone, 42% of small firms and 67% of medium-sized companies reported breaches.

Phishing remains the most common threat, affecting 85% of businesses. But more advanced tactics are spreading fast, including ransomware and ‘quishing’ scams — where fake QR codes are used to steal data.

Recovering from a breach is costly. Micro and small businesses spend nearly £8,000 on average to recover from their most serious incident. The figure excludes reputational damage and long-term disruption.

To help tackle the issue, BT has launched a new training programme with Be the Business. The course offers practical, low-cost cyber advice designed for companies without dedicated IT support.

The programme focuses on real-world threats, including AI-driven scams, and offers guidance on steps like password hygiene, two-factor authentication, and safe software practices.

Although 69% of SME leaders are now exploring AI tools to help defend their systems, 18% also list AI as one of their top cyber threats — a sign of both potential and risk.

Experts warn that basic precautions still matter most. With free and affordable training options now widely available, small firms have more tools than ever to improve their cyber defences.

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Meta pursues two AI paths with internal tension

Meta’s AI strategy is facing internal friction, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun taking sharply different paths toward the company’s future.

While Zuckerberg is doubling down on superintelligence, even launching a new division called Meta Superintelligence Labs, LeCun argues that even ‘cat-level’ intelligence remains a distant goal.

The new lab, led by Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang, marks Zuckerberg’s ambition to accelerate progress in large language models — a move triggered by disappointment in Meta’s recent Llama performance.

Reports suggest the models were tested with customised benchmarks to appear more capable than they were. That prompted frustration at the top, especially after Chinese firm DeepSeek built more advanced tools using Meta’s open-source Llama.

LeCun’s long-standing advocacy for open-source AI now appears at odds with the company’s shifting priorities. While he promotes openness for diversity and democratic access, Zuckerberg’s recent memo did not mention open-source principles.

Internally, executives have even discussed backing away from Llama and turning to closed models like those from OpenAI or Anthropic instead.

Meta is pursuing both visions — supporting LeCun’s research arm, FAIR, and investing in a new, more centralised superintelligence effort. The company has offered massive compensation packages to OpenAI researchers, with some reportedly offered up to $100 million.

Whether Meta continues balancing both philosophies or chooses one outright could determine the direction of its AI legacy.

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Lloyds Bank to test neurosymbolic AI for better customer support

Lloyds has partnered with UnlikelyAI to test neurosymbolic AI across its operations to enhance customer service and reinforce its commitment to responsible AI. The trial will occur in Lloyd’s Innovation Sandbox and focus on ensuring accurate, consistent and explainable outputs.

UnlikelyAI combines neural networks with logic-based symbolic reasoning to produce AI that avoids hallucinations and supports transparent decision-making. The firm was founded by William Tunstall-Pedoe, the creator of voice assistant Evi, which helped build Amazon’s Alexa.

Lloyds hopes the technology will drive more personalised customer support and improve internal efficiency. The bank recently migrated its AI platforms to Google Cloud, further strengthening its digital infrastructure.

The announcement follows increased scrutiny from MPs over banks’ reliance on AI and tech vulnerabilities. Lloyds CEO Charlie Nunn believes new large language models could significantly improve customer interaction and personalised advice.

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Artists explore meaning and memory at Antwerp Art Weekend

At Antwerp Art Weekend, two standout exhibitions by Eddie Peake and the Amsterdam-based collective Metahaven explored how meaning shifts or falls apart in an age shaped by AI, identity, and emotional complexity.

Metahaven’s film follows a character interacting with an AI assistant while exploring poetry by Eugene Ostashevsky. It contrasts AI’s predictive language models with the unpredictable nature of poetry, using visual metaphors to expose how AI mimics language without fully grasping it.

Meanwhile, Peake’s immersive installation at TICK TACK turned the Belgian gallery into a psychological labyrinth, combining architectural intrusion, raw paintings, and a haunting audio piece. His work considers the weight of identity, sexuality, and memory, moving from aggression to vulnerability.

Despite their differences, both projects provoke questions about how language, identity, and emotion are formed and fractured. Each invites viewers to reconsider the boundaries of expression in a world increasingly influenced by AI and abstraction.

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Alibaba Cloud opens AI centre in Singapore to drive regional innovation

Alibaba Cloud has launched its AI Global Competency Centre in Singapore to drive innovation and support growing regional demand for cloud and AI technologies. The centre aims to help more than 5,000 businesses and 100,000 developers access advanced tools.

The facility includes an innovation lab offering curated datasets, token credits, and tailored support for real-world AI solutions. A strong focus will be placed on building a robust talent pipeline, with plans to train 100,000 AI professionals each year through partnerships with over 120 universities.

Alibaba Cloud is positioning Singapore as a key digital hub, reinforcing its role in the Asia-Pacific AI ecosystem. The company also announced its third data centre in Malaysia and a second one in the Philippines, scheduled for October, to meet surging demand in Southeast Asia.

The launch marks Alibaba Cloud’s continued global expansion. Executives have underlined their ambition to make Singapore a global AI and cloud innovation leader through strategic partnerships and infrastructure development.

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