Google overhauls internal learning platform to focus on AI, 'business priorities'

Google is overhauling a fashionable interior learning level to absorption connected teaching employees however to usage modern artificial quality tools successful their regular enactment routines, CNBC has learned.

Grow, arsenic the learning work is called, was antecedently filled with a wide array of courses, ranging from teaching Google employees however to physique products, usage 3D printers, assistance with their idiosyncratic concern oregon adjacent however to lick a Rubik's cube. Those offerings person each been replaced chiefly by AI-related courses.

The revamp underscores however companies, some wrong and extracurricular of tech, are racing to bid their employees connected the precocious AI tools that person been created since OpenAI's motorboat of ChatGPT successful precocious 2022 ushered successful the property of generative AI.

Employees with antecedently scheduled Grow sessions were notified successful the outpouring that the sessions they signed up for would beryllium cancelled and that people materials would beryllium archived, according to interior correspondence viewed by CNBC. Grow, which was started much than 10 years ago, had grown to much than 500,000 listings earlier the AI shakeup. Grow is fashionable among employees and is considered to beryllium 1 of the unsocial perks of moving astatine Google, according to sources and an interior treatment forum.

"We person an progressive learning civilization with galore in-house courses tied to institution priorities, on with generous acquisition reimbursement," a Google spokesperson said successful an emailed statement. "Our interior people offerings person ballooned since we launched it 10 years ago, and we're refreshing Grow to assistance employees find the astir applicable learning opportunities."

The determination to overhaul Grow shows that Google is shifting distant from immoderate of its nice-to-have programs to much business-essential offerings arsenic it streamlines operations to prioritize AI. As the institution fights to clasp its relevance successful hunt amid a heated AI arms race, it has streamlined operations, headcount and worker benefits.

Google has enacted rolling layoffs wrong respective units crossed the company, peculiarly aft concern main Anat Ashkenazi's said past autumn that the institution could "push a small further" connected outgo cuts. Google, similar galore different tech giants, has besides rolled back programs similar its diversity, equity and inclusion, oregon DEI, trainings amid concern streamlining arsenic good arsenic from President Trump's enforcement orders.

In a memo sent retired to employees who had created Grow courses, Google leaders wrote that galore of the platform's "courses were unused," and "not applicable to the enactment we bash today," according to an interior message.

"Those that orgs person confirmed are up-to-date and focused connected concern priorities volition inactive beryllium available," wrote Google's radical operations staff. 

Employees commented connected an interior forum that the usage of "focused connected concern priorities" reiterated a motion of the times — Google is chiefly focused connected programs that lend to the bottommost line.

WATCH: Google is up connected AI, truthful we're not dovish the stock, says Constellation's Ray Wang