The most popular German newspaper, “Bild,” is planning to lay off hundreds of employees as part of its regional downsizing efforts this year and intensified reliance on artificial intelligence.

Axel Springer, the company that owns the best-selling daily newspaper in Germany, informed its employees via email on Tuesday that it intends to stop publishing six out of its 18 regional editions and close two-thirds of its regional offices.

The company stated its intention to continue issuing local “Bild” newspapers, with regional correspondents managed from Berlin in the future. However, in a memo shared with CNN, the company mentioned that the roles of editors, photo editors, language reviewers, and other staff involved in print production “will not continue as they are today,” as the company expects to cut hundreds of jobs. The current number of employees at the company is approximately 1,000, with around 200 positions expected to be eliminated, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Although Axel Springer did not disclose the exact number of layoffs, it hinted that it would be in the hundreds.

This announcement comes three months after Matthias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, warned employees of “significant” job cuts as part of the company’s efforts to fully transition its activities to digital systems, with artificial intelligence playing a crucial role.

A spokesperson for “Bild” clarified to CNN that the job losses associated with the newspaper’s restructuring are not related to the use of artificial intelligence. The spokesperson added, “Artificial intelligence allows more time and opportunity for journalistic creativity for editors and correspondents.” The spokesperson emphasized the need for journalists to verify the results produced by artificial intelligence multiple times.

However, in its memo to employees, the company stated that it would significantly rely on artificial intelligence, justifying it by saying, “We need it to support our complete digital transformation.” The company added that the “vast majority” of jobs related to print production are the most likely to be relinquished.

The company expressed regret for having to let go of colleagues whose tasks have been replaced by AI technologies and who could not find a place for themselves in this new system. It also mentioned that artificial intelligence will soon be able to design the entire printed newspaper.