WiseTech begins redundancies – but omits ‘AI’ from emails to Chinese employees, workers say

Staff at WiseTech have been waiting months to be told if they are among the employees the company is to cut due to advances in AI. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

WiseTech has begun informing staff that they will lose their jobs as part of redundancies the company has said are due to artificial intelligence advancements – although an email to staff in China omitted the word “AI” after a court case against another company in the country.

Staff at WiseTech have been waiting almost three months to be told if they are among the 2,000 people the logistics software company is to cut due to advances in AI. The Australian Stock Exchange-listed company announced in late February it would lay off almost 30% of its 7,000-strong workforce across 40 countries.