Xbox producer tells staff to use AI to ease job loss pain

An Xbox producer has faced a backlash after suggesting laid-off employees should use artificial intelligence to deal with emotions in a now deleted LinkedIn post.

Matt Turnbull, an executive producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, wrote the post after Microsoft confirmed it would lay off up to 9,000 workers, in a wave of job cuts this year.

The post, which was captured in a screenshot by tech news site Aftermath, shows Mr Turnbull suggesting tools like ChatGPT or Copilot to "help reduce the emotional and cognitive load that comes with job loss."

One X user called it "plain disgusting" while another said it left them "speechless". The BBC has contacted Microsoft, which owns Xbox, for comment.

Microsoft previously said several of its divisions would be affected without specifying which ones but reports suggest that its Xbox video gaming unit will be hit.

Microsoft has set out plans to invest heavily in artificial intelligence (AI), and is spending $80bn (£68.6bn) in huge data centres to train AI models.

Mr Turnbull acknowledged the difficulty of job cuts in his post and said "if you're navigating a layoff or even quietly preparing for one, you're not alone and you don't have to go it alone".

He wrote that he was aware AI tools can cause "strong feelings in people" but wanted to try and offer the "best advice" under the circumstances.

The Xbox producer said he'd been "experimenting with ways to use LLM Al tools" and suggested some prompts to enter into AI software.

These included career planning prompts, resume and LinkedIn help, and questions to ask for advice on emotional clarity and confidence.

"If this helps, feel free to share with others in your network," he wrote.

The Microsoft cuts would equate to 4% of Microsoft's 228,000-strong global workforce.

Some video game projects have reportedly been affected by the cuts.