German publisher Axel Springer is betting the Upday app it owns with Samsung, on the reliability of AI-based news.
The remaining 70 jobs – of a one-time workforce of 150 – are being eliminated as the company explores “the opportunities that AI presents for journalism and the news industry,” it said.
The app is preinstalled on Samsung mobile phones and other devices under a 2015 deal which has now expanded to 34 European countries.
Axel Springer, which has been progressievely moving to a digital-only publishing model, says it will relaunch the Upday brand as a "trend news generator" driven by artificial intelligence, slated for the northern summer 2024.
The company says it is looking at whether it can offer displaced staff positions elsewhere.
Axel Springer is the publisher of German’s Welt newspaper and tabloid Bild, as well as US political news site Politico.