As Amazon navigates yet another sweeping round of corporate layoffs, uncertainty has begun to ripple through its workforce. With 16,000 roles set to be cut and little clarity on which teams will be affected, employees are left grappling with anxiety and speculation about their future at the company.

In the absence of official communication detailing the impacted divisions, one employee quietly took an unusual step — using artificial intelligence to try to forecast where the next cuts might land.

On Wednesday, Amazon confirmed plans to eliminate around 16,000 corporate positions, marking another significant downsizing just months after 14,000 jobs were slashed in October. While the company acknowledged the magnitude of the reduction, it did not specify which departments would be hit. That silence appears to have prompted some workers to seek their own answers.

According to internal messages reviewed by Business Insider, one employee used an internal AI-powered tool called Pippin to scan conversations across Amazon’s Slack channels. By analysing workplace discussions, the tool attempted to identify patterns and signals that could point to teams potentially at risk. The employee then shared the generated list internally, while cautioning colleagues about its reliability.

“Used Pippin to help me parse conversations from today,” the employee wrote in a Slack message. “Please note that this info may not be 100 per cent accurate. Take care, everyone!”

Pippin is commonly used within Amazon to assist with drafting, summarising and reviewing documents. In this instance, however, it was repurposed to interpret informal discussions during a tense moment. Since the insights were based on chat messages rather than official company data, the results remain speculative.

The AI-generated list reportedly referenced multiple areas of the business, including Amazon Web Services teams like Bedrock and Redshift, consulting division ProServe, Prime services, delivery operations, Alexa, retail functions and people experience groups. The breadth of departments mentioned reflects just how widespread the uncertainty has become.

The layoffs are part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at simplifying Amazon’s organisational structure. In a message to employees, Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people experiences and technology, said the company is working to reduce management layers, improve accountability and eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy. She noted that while some teams underwent changes earlier, others finalised their restructuring more recently, resulting in the current cuts.

Galetti added that most US-based employees affected will have 90 days to seek alternative roles within the company. Those unable or unwilling to transition will receive severance packages, health benefits where applicable, and outplacement support. At the same time, Amazon plans to continue hiring in areas critical to its long-term strategy.

The company also sought to reassure staff that large-scale layoffs would not become a routine event, though teams will continue reviewing priorities and structures as needed.

For many employees, however, the episode highlights how workplace AI is now being used not just for productivity — but also for navigating uncertainty in turbulent times.