Despite a series of AI-related layoffs across the tech industry, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian has said artificial intelligence will not eliminate technology jobs but instead help workers achieve more. The Indian-origin executive, who leads Google’s fast-growing cloud division, believes AI should be viewed as a tool for empowerment rather than displacement.

Speaking to Big Technology newsletter, Kurian said there is a “middle ground” between fears of mass automation and the reality of how AI is being deployed. “AI’s purpose is to enhance human capabilities rather than replace people outright,” he explained.

AI as an enabler, not a replacement

Kurian cited Google’s Customer Engagement Suite, an AI-powered set of customer service tools launched last year, as an example of technology driving productivity without costing jobs. He said that, despite initial client fears, “almost none of our clients have let anyone go.”

According to Kurian, businesses using these tools have found that AI helps manage previously ignored or low-priority customer queries, allowing human agents to focus on more complex issues. “It’s expanding what people can do, not replacing them,” he added.

Productivity gains among engineers

Kurian’s remarks echo those of Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who earlier this year revealed that Google engineers had become roughly 10 per cent more productive with AI assistance. During a June conversation on the Lex Fridman Podcast, Pichai said the company tracks “additional engineering capacity” created by AI tools that streamline coding and debugging tasks.

Layoffs and rising concerns

Kurian’s optimism, however, contrasts with reports of ongoing job cuts linked to Google’s AI efforts. According to Wired, more than 200 contract workers involved in improving the company’s Gemini chatbot were recently laid off. The employees, hired through outsourcing firm GlobalLogic, were responsible for reviewing and editing Gemini’s responses to make them sound more natural and accurate.

The report said the contractors, many of whom had advanced degrees, were dismissed abruptly, with the company citing a “ramp-down on the project.” Several workers told Wired they feared they were training the very AI systems that would replace them, amid low pay and tight deadlines.

While Google insists AI will augment human work, the layoffs have fuelled debate over how automation is reshaping employment, even within the world’s most advanced tech firms.