SenseTime, a Chinese AI firm, has reportedly implemented workforce reductions across multiple divisions. Employees impacted by this decision have been given a week to leave. This is the company’s second significant downsizing in under a year.
In April, SenseTime made a significant move by introducing SenseNova, a direct contender to the ChatGPT platform. SenseTime, a company listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, continues to grapple with the limitations imposed by US sanctions, making its journey towards profitability a continued challenge. This struggle is evidenced by a financial record showing cumulative losses surpassing RMB 40 billion over the last five years.
As the year 2022 drew to a close, a discernible decrease of over 1,000 staff members was observed compared to the previous year. This marked a notable drop of approximately 16.6 per cent in the employee count, signifying a period of contraction for the company.
As reported by the local media source Caixin on 28 August 2023, the smart city division within the company has undergone a staff reduction of approximately 10 to 15 per cent. This development occurs within the context of a competitive race among local technology companies to create and introduce their own extensive language models.