Meta, the parent of Facebook and Instagram, is cutting 600 jobs in its AI division, according to US media. The company confirmed the layoffs on Wednesday, even as it recruits more staff for its superintelligence lab.
FAIR Unit and AI Infrastructure Teams Face Cuts
Axios revealed the layoffs will strike Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) unit, product-related AI teams, and AI infrastructure groups. The newer TBD Lab will remain untouched. Chief AI officer Alexandr Wang told employees in a memo that affected workers should apply for other roles within Meta. Most will likely secure new positions inside the company.
Wang wrote that trimming the team will simplify decision-making, giving each person greater responsibility and influence. Axios reported that the company continues hiring for TBD Lab, which develops Meta’s latest large language models (LLMs). These models power tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Meta’s own Llama.
Meta Pursues Open AI Strategy Despite Competition
Meta continues to promote a distinct AI strategy by releasing its Llama model as a semi-open source system. This approach allows users to modify and apply key components freely. The company claims over one billion people use its AI products every month. However, industry observers view Meta as trailing behind OpenAI and Google in driving consumer engagement with large language models.
