Xbox producers are facing backlash after layoff employees suggested they need to use artificial intelligence to address emotions in a now-deleted LinkedIn post.
Matt Turnbull, executive producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, wrote the post after confirming that Microsoft will fire up to 9,000 workers in this year's wave of job offers.
The post was taken in screenshots in the aftermath of the Tech News site, showing Turnbull suggesting tools like ChatGpt and Copilot “will help reduce the emotional and cognitive load associated with unemployment.”
One X user called it “simple disgust” and another said “lost words.” The BBC contacted Microsoft, which owns the Xbox, for comments.
Microsoft previously said that some of which departments will be affected without specifying which department, but the report suggests that Xbox video game units will be hit.
Microsoft plans to invest heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) and spends $800 billion (£68.6 billion) on huge data centers to train AI models.
Turnbull acknowledged the difficulty of reducing job postings, saying, “If you're navigating layoffs or preparing quietly, you don't have to go alone and not alone.”
He wrote that he knew that AI tools could cause “strong emotions in people,” but wanted to provide “the best advice” under the circumstances.
The Xbox producer said he was “experimenting how to use the LLM AL tool,” and suggested a prompt to enter the AI software.
These include career planning prompts, resume and LinkedIn help, and questions seeking advice on emotional clarity and confidence.
“If this helps, feel free to share it with others in your network,” he wrote.
Microsoft's cut equals 4% of Microsoft's 228,000-person, powerful global workforce.
Some video game projects are reportedly affected by the cuts.
