New reports claim that Meta is internally considering downsizing its artificial intelligence team. In addition, some executives are expected to leave amid an alleged new restructuring of the division.
The reorg, according to sources in a New York Times report, will see the AI division, Meta Superintelligence Labs, split into four groups rather than one, and these groups will each have a different focus: research, work on a “superintelligence” AI, products, and infrastructure.
Other changes include an exploration of third-party models to power Meta’s AI products, sources say.
How Meta Superintelligence Labs Is Changing
The news comes from “two people with knowledge of the situation,” as cited in the New York Times article.
They say that the reorganization was announced internally on Tuesday. The potential downsizing, however, is yet to come, if it happens at all. Here’s how the Times explains their sources’ information:
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“Some A.I. executives are expected to leave, the people said. Meta is also looking at downsizing the A.I. division overall — which could include eliminating roles or moving employees to other parts of the company — because it has grown to thousands of people in recent years, the people said. Discussions remain fluid and no final decisions have been made on the downsizing, they said.” –New York Times
Yes, that’s three sentences that all end in a version of “they said.” This downsizing is far from set in stone, even if the separate reorganization has already been announced internally… or so sources have said.
Meta’s Current AI Efforts
Meta is currently rolling out new AI functions: The latest one is the ability to add AI voiceovers to Reels, which lets creators dub over their Reels into Spanish-language voiceover that use their own voice.
Meanwhile, you’ll find plenty of AI-generated images and videos available on Facebook, Meta’s most popular social media platform. These images are common enough that entire “AI slop” mini industrial complexes have emerged.
Meta is currently pouring funds into AI research and development. In addition to investing $14.3 billion into the Scale AI startup, the tech giant has been poaching AI researchers from rivals including OpenAI and Google by offering them incredibly high nine-figure compensation packages.
…and Meta’s Future AI Efforts
Perhaps the AI division’s new organization will lead to success for Meta in the ongoing AI battle — even if the hype bubble may be close to bursting.
However, some tech pundits have noted similarities between the alleged considerations of downsizing the AI team and Meta’s presumed lack of of follow-through on creating a Metaverse. Meta may find it tough to recruit top AI talent if they aren’t perceived to have a long-term plan for developing the technology.
Should a downsizing round of layoffs actually manifest, Meta’s path towards AI talent retention will likely grow more difficult.
It’s unclear how much that will slow the company down, however, given that it’s currently offering some of the best pay packages ever seen in tech history.
