More robots and less human resources – the future of Microsoft News and MSN

Microsoft is making a serious statement by laying off dozens of journalists and editorial workers. The plan is to increase dependability on artificial intelligence when it comes to picking up news and content for news presentations on MSN.com, Microsoft Edge Insider browser, and numerous other Microsoft News apps.

The workers who are affected are essentially members of the Microsoft’s SANE (search, ads, News, Edge) teams, and are considered as human editors who help pick stories.

Microsoft’s spokesperson said in an official statement: “Like all companies, we evaluate our business on a regular basis. This can result in increased investment in some places and, from time to time, redeployment in others. These decisions are not the result of the current pandemic.”

This might not be the case for Microsoft, but many businesses around the world have taken a sabbatical as a direct consequence of the pandemic.

Business Insider broke the news on Friday and reported that approximately 50 jobs are impacted due to this change. The Guardian has reported that 27 people have been laid off in the UK ever since Microsoft decided to stop employ humans.

MSN was launched in 1995 and it’s been prolific 25 years ever since. Microsoft News was inaugurated two years, and self admittedly, 800 editors were on board from 50 different locations around the globe.

In the last couple of months, we’ve seen Microsoft depend more on Artificial Intelligence as opposed to human resources. They have not shied away from encouraging journalists and publishers to make use of AI.

Microsoft has been using AI to scan, process, and filter the content before publishing. It has also used it to suggest photos and pair them to curate top stories.