In the wake of significant workforce reductions, Meta has informed approximately 7,000 employees that they have been selected for reassignment to new artificial intelligence initiatives, according to an internal memo.
The company recently cut around 8,000 positions as part of a broader restructuring aimed at accelerating its focus on AI development. This latest move reflects CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s strategy to bolster Meta’s competitive edge in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence sector.
An internal communication reviewed by Business Insider revealed that thousands of staff members received notifications highlighting their selection for roles in a newly established Applied AI group and other specialized AI teams. The emails emphasized the employees’ strong performance and technical skills, stating phrases such as “This is a reflection of your impact” and “You were identified as someone who can make a real impact on this team.”
These reassignments form part of an extensive company-wide reorganization that prioritizes AI at the core of Meta’s operations. The affected workers will join various AI-focused units, including the Applied AI team led by engineering vice president Maher Saba, who reports to chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth. Additional groups involve the Agent Transformation Accelerator and Agent Data and Optimization, concentrating on AI agents and model advancement.
The reshuffle occurs amid ongoing AI-related transformations at the social media giant. Meta has set up a superintelligence laboratory, streamlined teams into compact AI units, and updated certain job titles to “AI builder.” Employee reactions have varied, with some expressing relief while others voiced uncertainty. Internal discussions on forums and workplace platforms have referred to the process informally as an “AI draft.”
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Participation in the new assignments appears to be mandatory for those selected. Some staff anticipate their roles will involve data labelling and model training tasks, such as tagging images or refining chatbot outputs. This direction aligns with the background of Meta’s AI chief, Alexandr Wang, who formerly headed the data-labelling firm Scale AI.
The initiative complements other internal AI projects at Meta. Earlier this year, the company introduced the Model Capability Initiative, which monitors employee computer interactions to gather real-world data for training AI systems. In a leaked recording from an internal meeting, Zuckerberg underscored the potential advantages of leveraging the company’s own workforce for AI training, drawing on Wang’s expertise, though he described it at the time as still a hypothesis.
This development underscores Meta’s continued commitment to integrating AI across its operations following the recent layoffs.