Meta cutting 600 AI jobs even as it continues to hire more for its superintelligence lab

Key Points

• Meta is laying off approximately 600 AI jobs from its Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) unit, while simultaneously hiring for its superintelligence lab, the TBD Lab.
• The layoffs are part of a reorganization that will affect product-related AI and AI infrastructure units, but the TBD Lab will not be impacted.
• Despite the job cuts, Meta is encouraging affected employees to apply for other roles within the company, aiming to retain most of them.
• Meta promotes an open-source approach for its AI products, such as the Llama system, but is perceived to be lagging behind in consumer adoption of large language models compared to competitors like OpenAI and Google.

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — Meta Platforms is cutting roughly 600 artificial intelligence jobs even as it continues to hire more workers for its superintelligence lab, the company confirmed on Wednesday.

Axios first reported the cuts, which will affect Meta’s Fundamental AI Research, or FAIR unit, as well as product-related AI and AI infrastructure units.

Its newer TBD Lab unit won’t be affected. Citing a memo sent to workers by chief AI officer Alexandr Wang, Axios said the company is encouraging employees affected to apply for other jobs at Meta, with most expected to find other roles. The Menlo Park, California-based company is also still recruiting and hiring for TBD Lab, which is developing Meta's latest large language models. Large language models are the technology behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini — and Meta’s Llama.

Meta has taken a different approach to AI than many of its rivals, releasing its flagship Llama system for free as an open-source product that enables people to use and modify some of its key components. Meta says more than a billion people use its AI products each month, but it’s also widely seen as lagging behind competitors such as OpenAI and Google in encouraging consumer use of large language models, also known as LLMs.