Laid off GM employees describe ominous meeting, AI and severance

DETROIT — An ominous email about an oddly timed 15-minute virtual meeting. A scripted message from human resources. And an abrupt end to that meeting, as well as their job. That's how several General Motors employees who were laid off Monday by the Detroit automaker described their jobs being terminated to CNBC. "No appreciation or empathy. No questions. Nothing," said a data analyst who worked for more than a decade at the automaker. The layoffs impacted about 500 to 600 employees, largely in information technology roles in Austin, Texas, and Warren, Michigan, and came as the automaker reevaluates its workforce needs and cuts costs amid uncertain market conditions. Two laid off workers who agreed to speak to CNBC on the condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions or impacts to potential future jobs said their units had gone through recent restructurings and that they were being encouraged to use artificial intelligence more in their work. "They're going to push AI for everyday work and everything else," said a veteran programmer and data scientist for the company. "I've seen it firsthand. It can make you much more productive, as a programmer. It can really help you get more work done, but AI isn't going to do you any good if you don't know the business." Automakers, like many major companies, are using AI to help workers make their jobs more efficient, but the emerging technology also has led to layoffs. …