Share and Follow
THE Google founder has called for staff to work harder and spend more time in the office to advance the company’s AI programmes.
Sergey Brin wants Google’s AI team to work at least 60 hours a week and come to the office every day, Monday to Friday.
In an internal memo, published on The Verge, Brin said: “In my experience about 60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity.
“Some folks put in a lot more but can burn out or lose creativity.
“A number of folks work less than 60 hours and a small number put in the bare minimum to get by.
“This last group is not only unproductive but also can be highly demoralizing to everyone else.”
Google is competing with tech giants to be the first to achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
AGI is a type of AI that can understand and apply knowledge across a wide range of tasks like a human.
Google’s DeepMind and Gemini AI programmes were established two years ago with this goal in mind.
Brin said: “We have come a long way in that time with many efforts we should feel very proud of.
“At the same time competition has accelerated immensely and the final race to AGI is afoot.
“I think we have all the ingredients to win this race but we are going to have to turbocharge our efforts.”
Brin stepped down from his position at Google’s parent company Alphabet alongside fellow co-founder Larry Page in 2019.
But he returned just three years later after OpenAI launched its AI chatbot ChatGPT, the Times has reported.
Artificial Intelligence explained
Here’s what you need to know
- Artificial intelligence, also known as AI, is a type of computer software
- Typically, a computer will do what you tell it to do
- But artificial intelligence simulates the human mind, and can make its own deductions, inferences or decisions
- A simple computer might let you set an alarm to wake you up
- But an AI system might scan your emails, work out that you’ve got a meeting tomorrow, and then set an alarm and plan a journey for you
- AI tech is often “trained” – which means it observes something (potentially even a human) then learns about a task over time
- For instance, an AI system can be fed thousands of photos of human faces, then generate photos of human faces all on its own
- Some experts have raised concerns that humans will eventually lose control of super-intelligent AI
- But the tech world is still divided over whether or not AI tech will eventually kill us all in a Terminator-style apocalypse
Google is not the first company to introduce productivity measures, amid the pro-Trump crackdown.
Trump has long vowed to gut what he calls a bloated federal workforce hampering America’s economy.
He set up a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – led by Elon Musk – and tasked him with slashing regulations, cutting spending and reducing government jobs.
As part of this, Trump demanded a full five-day return to the office.
The White House proposed a buyout package for almost all federal workers who did not want to return to the office, offering them eight months’ salary if they resigned by February 6.
Employees who accepted have been placed on paid administrative leave through September 30, with full pay and benefits.
Those who refused were told: “We cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency, but should your position be eliminated, you will be treated with dignity.”
This marked the biggest government downsizing effort in modern history, according to DOGE official Katie Miller.
In line with these policies Meta announced plans to cut around 5% of its staff this year to get rid of “under-performers”.
In a memo to employees Zuckerberg said: “I’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster.”
Also following suit is Amazon who asked its workers to return to the office five days a week in January, as part of a company-wide clamp down on at-home work.
In a message to employees in September Amazon CEO Andy Jassay said the decision would ensure the company is “better set up to invent, collaborate, and be connected enough to each other”.
And Amazon is not the only employer to drag workers back to the office.
BT told employees they would need to return to the office three days a week in December.
A memo from chief executive Allison Kirkby said the company was instituting a “three together, two wherever” policy.
Office-based staff were told that they would be “accountable” for following the rules.
Data on when employees enter and leave the building will be used to track which staff are compliant.
