The German newspaper Bild is seeking to significantly reduce the number of employees due to its plans to increase the use of artificial intelligence technologies, putting this sector at risk of further layoffs as these technologies rapidly advance.
Axel Springer, the owner of Germany’s highest-selling newspaper, informed employees of its intention to stop publishing six regional editions out of a total of 18 editions, and to close two-thirds of its regional offices.
It also announced that it will continue to publish its local edition “Bild” and will manage its local correspondents from Berlin in the future, as the company currently has about 1000 employees.
The company stated in a notice that the roles of editors, photo editors, language reviewers, and other employees involved in print production “will not be maintained in their current state”, as the company plans to eliminate several hundred positions.
According to a report by “Frankfurter Allgemeine”, approximately 200 jobs will be cut. Although the actual number of layoffs has not been disclosed by Axel Springer, the company hinted that they will be in the hundreds.
This announcement comes three months after Axel Springer’s CEO, Matthias Döpfner, warned employees to expect significant job cuts as the company transforms all its activities to fully digital systems.
In the same context, the company explained in its message to employees that they will heavily rely on smart technology, stating: “We urgently need it to support our comprehensive digital transformation,” and indicating that jobs related to paper document production are most likely to be phased out.
The company expressed regret, saying: “We are sorry for the necessity that forced us to leave our colleagues who have been replaced by artificial intelligence technologies and who cannot find a place for themselves in this new system. It is expected that artificial intelligence will fully design the newspaper in the near future.”
