Apple Reportedly Planned to Replace 5,000 Support Employees With AI

Apple recently considered laying off about 5,000 support employees, but it has put those plans on hold indefinitely, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

The report said that Apple believed that AI-powered phone and web agents could take over some of the responsibilities performed by the employees who would have been let go, but Apple is no longer "currently looking to take such a step."

Last month, we reported that customers who call the AppleCare phone number (1-800-APL-CARE) from the U.S. or Canada are now routed to an AI-powered support assistant. While many of Apple's phone systems already had a basic automated operator, the Apple Support phone line is now using a bot powered by generative AI.

The virtual assistant can answer questions and provide step-by-step instructions for troubleshooting issues with your Apple products. It can still transfer you to a human advisor if it cannot answer a specific question, or if you ask to speak to a real person.

It remains to be seen if Apple eventually revisits layoffs and/or reduces hiring for AppleCare roles.

The report said Apple has laid off some other employees in middle management roles in recent weeks, including roughly half a dozen directors.