The layoffs include hundreds of employees who work on some of the company’s most recognizable products, including Google Assistant, the voice-activated software that helps users check the weather, set timers and quickly look up facts. The Google Assistant layoffs are at least partly driven by a shift in focus toward artificial intelligence, Google said, amid plans to more deeply integrate the company’s latest AI models into its products. Google is working to find other roles for some of the affected employees amid the restructuring, the company said. “We’re responsibly investing in our company’s biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. The layoffs were earlier reported by Semafor and 9to5 Google, which also reported that Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman are departing Google as part of this week’s changes.

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Persons: “, ”, Semafor, Fitbit, James Park, Eric Friedman Organizations: Washington CNN, Google, CNN