What if the very AI you’re training is secretly being groomed to take your job? That nightmare just became a reality for over 200 workers helping power Google’s AI empire.

In a story that feels ripped from a futuristic drama, more than 200 contract workers tasked with making Google’s artificial intelligence smarter—yes, the very minds behind those eerily human-like chatbot replies—have suddenly found themselves out of a job. The layoffs, carried out by outsourcing giant GlobalLogic, leave a chilling message: even the experts behind the curtain aren’t safe from the relentless march of automation. This is the heart of today’s AI generated newscast about Google layoffs and the human cost of feeding the AI beast.

Let’s break it down. These weren’t just any workers—they were “AI raters,” highly educated professionals from fields like teaching, writing, and research, hired to review and refine the outputs of Google’s Gemini chatbot and craft polished, accurate AI-generated summaries for Google Search. Their job? To ensure the AI sounded smart, stayed truthful, and didn’t go rogue. Yet despite their expertise, many faced low pay, intense pressure, and the constant fear that their own labor was being used to make themselves obsolete.

According to internal documents uncovered by Wired, GlobalLogic was developing tools to automate the “AI rating” work—meaning, yes, algorithms designed to judge the work once done by humans. The irony is as thick as it gets: By helping AI sound more human, these raters may have trained it to replace them altogether. One contractor, Andrew Lauzon, received a blunt email in August announcing his contract was over. When he asked for a reason, he got corporate jargon: a project “ramp-down.” The real message? Thanks for training your replacement.

The shakeup has sparked unrest among workers, some of whom have tried to organize for better pay and transparency, even flirting with unionization under the Alphabet Workers Union umbrella. But those efforts were met with pushback. A few have now taken their grievances to the US labor board, alleging retaliation for simply speaking up. The fear is palpable. Among those who remain, many feel trapped in precarious, short-term contracts, worried that raising concerns could make them the next to go. “It’s just been an oppressive atmosphere,” one rater confessed, describing a workplace where even job security feels AI-generated.

Pay gaps only fuel the frustration. Workers hired directly by GlobalLogic earned up to $32 an hour, while others hired through third-party agencies did the same work for as little as $18—and “generalist” raters, with less specialized roles, took home even less despite sometimes doing the same complex tasks. Full-time GlobalLogic employees enjoy a touch more stability, but the majority get no benefits or paid leave, a stark reminder of the gig economy’s dark side.

Google, for its part, wants to keep its hands clean. Spokesperson Courtenay Mencini said these workers aren’t Alphabet employees—the real responsibility lies with GlobalLogic and its subcontractors. GlobalLogic, meanwhile, is keeping silent. But labor experts warn this isn’t just a Google problem. Across the AI industry, from Kenya to Colombia, contract workers are the invisible engine of machine learning—yet they’re often left with little pay, few rights, and even less recognition.

This AI generated newscast about Google layoffs is a warning blaring across the future of work: As we train smarter and smarter AI, the people building it are fighting just to keep their own jobs. If you think AI can’t come for your gig, think again.