Google has confirmed that it is laying off hundreds of employees in order to maintain its competitiveness in the field of artificial intelligence. The layoffs affect core engineering teams, the voice assistant project, and the hardware department. The company stated that this move is aimed at improving efficiency, aligning resources, and supporting affected employees in finding new positions. The layoffs come at a time of intense competition among tech giants, with Google launching its generative AI product, Gemini, at the end of last year. Laid-off employees will have the opportunity to apply for other positions within the company, and Google is providing career transition services and severance packages.