On a recent drive to BuzzFeed’s Los Angeles headquarters, I spied through the car window a delivery robot labeled “Ellen” toddling down Cahuenga Blvd. with the apparent goal of delivering lunch.
There was something oddly appropriate about encountering the labor-saving Ellen just before speaking to BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti, who has spent the last few weeks trying to explain to the public that BuzzFeed’s recently-announced foray into artificial intelligence doesn’t mean that his digital media company plans to replace its news reporters with robots.
In December, BuzzFeed laid off 12% of its workforce, roughly 180 staffers out of an estimated 1,500.