Meta, the parent of Facebook and Instagram, is cutting 600 jobs in its AI division, US media reported. The company confirmed on Wednesday that it will remove around 600 roles in artificial intelligence while continuing to recruit for its superintelligence lab.
Axios revealed the layoffs, which target Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) unit, along with product-related AI and AI infrastructure teams.
FAIR Unit Faces Major Layoffs
The company’s newer TBD Lab will remain unaffected. Axios, citing a memo from chief AI officer Alexandr Wang, said Meta urges affected workers to apply for other internal positions. Most displaced employees are expected to secure new roles within the firm.
Wang wrote in the memo that a smaller team allows quicker decisions and greater individual responsibility. He emphasized that each team member will gain more influence and broader impact after the restructuring.
Meta Pursues Growth in AI Research
Meta continues to hire for its TBD Lab, which focuses on developing large language models (LLMs). These models power AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Meta’s Llama.
Unlike its rivals, Meta has released its Llama model as a semi-open source system that lets developers use and modify its components. The company claims over one billion people use its AI tools monthly. However, many observers believe Meta still trails behind OpenAI and Google in driving widespread consumer adoption of LLM technology.
