Jess Kelly

Yeah, you're very welcome along to Tech Talk.

This is Jess Kelly with you here on News Talk.

Coming up over the next hour, as Meta makes further job cuts, citing AI as the reason, we'll take a closer look at the Irish jobs market and ask where the opportunities for humans lie.

As always, you can email the show techtalk at newstalk.com or you'll find me on Instagram at jesskelleynt.

Later in the show, we'll jump into the inbox to answer some of your tech questions and we'll also take a closer look at the letters from Sky to Dodgy Box users.

But I want to start this week with Meta.

That report from CBS outlining significant job cuts at Meta once again.

Now they had flagged in advance that this was on the cards.

Not only will layoffs and transfers impact around 20% of the company's entire global workforce,

But also in a letter to staff, Mark Zuckerberg stated that success isn't a given and AI is the most consequential technology of our lifetimes.

The companies that lead the way will define the next generation.

Now it's thought that over 300 of Meta's 1,800 Dublin-based employees will be impacted, along with 700 workers at the third-party company Covalent, which is a main contractor for the company.

You might remember Covalent

We had some of the former employees at Covalent and indeed the representatives on this programme a wee while ago over disputes about the severance that the employees at Covalent receive.

But Meta is just one of a number of companies making cuts and citing AI as the reason.

with many now claiming these tech giants are, quote, AI washing, using the emerging technology as an excuse to reduce its headcount and therefore its bottom line costs.

So what impact will the AI effect have on the overall jobs market, which is also feeling the impact of geopolitical uncertainty?

Christopher Payne, country director of the Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for Irish jobs, is with me now.

Chris, how are you?

Thanks for joining us.