‘Using AI is no longer optional’: Microsoft now includes AI use to evaluate employee performance

Microsoft is now including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools as part of evaluating employee performance. The company has reportedly told managers to take into account how employees are using internal AI tools when assessing their work.

Business Insider reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter, that some teams may add formal AI usage metrics to upcoming performance reviews.

“AI is now a fundamental part of how we work,” the company’s Developer Division president Julia Liuson told employees in an internal email, adding: “Just like collaboration, data-driven thinking, and effective communication, using AI is no longer optional — it’s core to every role and every level.”

According to India Today, while the company has been heavily promoting Copilot, adoption within its own workforce has remained lower than expected. Now, Microsoft expects employees, especially those working on AI products, to use its internal tools while still permitting external AI tools like Replit.

In May, Bloomberg reported that amid its push for AI spending, the company is cutting about 6,000 jobs worldwide, or less than 3% of its workforce.

In addition, India Today, citing a Bloomberg report, said thousands of employees in the Xbox division could be laid off as early as next week, marking the fourth round of cuts in the unit since 2023.

Internal sources said the upcoming layoffs are “considerable”, given the ongoing financial scrutiny of the gaming business. /TISG

Read also: Microsoft to launch 3 new data centres in Malaysia by mid-year as part of US$2.2B investment

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