News/Meta
Meta’s AI demo failures blamed on self-inflicted DDoS wound
Meta faced multiple high-profile AI demo failures at its Connect conference, with the company's CTO later attributing the incidents to an accidental distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack and an obscure software bug. The failures highlighted the challenges facing live AI technology demonstrations and raised questions about the readiness of Meta's smart glasses technology for widespread deployment. What happened: Two major demos malfunctioned during Meta's showcase of its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses with Live AI capabilities. During the first demo, an Instagram influencer attempting to get cooking help from the AI assistant experienced multiple failures, with the AI incorrectly assessing his progress...
read Sep 19, 2025Oracle stock surges on reports of $20B AI deal with Meta
Oracle shares surged on reports that the company is in discussions with Meta about a potential $20 billion AI computing deal. The reported partnership would represent one of the largest enterprise AI infrastructure agreements to date, positioning Oracle as a major player in the rapidly expanding AI cloud services market. What you should know: The market responded enthusiastically to news of the potential mega-deal between Oracle and Meta.• Oracle's stock price spiked following reports of the $20 billion AI computing partnership discussions with Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram.• The deal would involve Oracle providing AI computing infrastructure and...
read Sep 19, 2025Meta blushes in face of $350M lawsuit over alleged AI training via adult video piracy
Strike 3 Holdings has filed a federal lawsuit against Meta, alleging the tech giant illegally torrented over 2,300 copyrighted adult videos to train its AI models since 2018. The company claims Meta specifically sought out pornographic content to capture unique visual angles and extended scenes that are rare in mainstream media, helping advance what Mark Zuckerberg calls AI "superintelligence." What you should know: Strike 3's lawsuit reveals the alleged scope of Meta's content piracy extends far beyond adult videos to mainstream entertainment. The company alleges Meta used BitTorrent—a file-sharing protocol often used for piracy—to download and distribute 2,396 of Strike...
read Sep 18, 2025Meta’s $799 Ray-Ban Display glasses add screens to smart eyewear
Meta has unveiled its Ray-Ban Display glasses, featuring a tiny screen inside the lens that allows users to read messages, view photos, and get directions without looking at their phones. Priced at $799 and launching September 30 in limited US stores, the glasses represent Meta's latest push into AI-powered wearables and a significant step toward mainstream augmented reality adoption. What you should know: The Display glasses build on Meta's existing smart glasses line by adding visual feedback through a small display in the right lens corner. Unlike previous audio-only versions, users can now see text messages, Instagram Reels, maps, and...
read Sep 18, 2025What the Zuck?! Meta’s live AI demos fail spectacularly at Connect conference
Meta's highly anticipated live AI demos at its annual Connect conference suffered multiple technical failures, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg visibly frustrated as both smart glasses demonstrations malfunctioned on stage. The embarrassing glitches undermined the company's attempt to showcase what Zuckerberg called a "huge scientific leap" in neural band technology and AI-powered smart glasses. What went wrong: Two separate live demonstrations failed spectacularly, leaving Zuckerberg scrambling to maintain composure in front of the audience. An Instagram influencer testing the Live AI feature on Meta's smart glasses couldn't get the system to properly respond to cooking questions, with the AI incorrectly assessing...
read Sep 17, 2025Meta launches $10M+ super PAC to influence AI politics in California
Meta has created its own California-focused super PAC called "Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (Meta) California," allowing Mark Zuckerberg to spend unlimited corporate funds on political campaigns supporting the company's AI interests. This unprecedented move gives Zuckerberg essentially personal control over a corporate super PAC, enabling Meta to spend tens of millions defending its priorities in the heart of the tech industry—potentially even against AI-friendly candidates who might favor competitors. What you should know: Meta's super PAC represents an unusually direct corporate political intervention, distinct from typical industry coalitions. Campaign finance experts tell The Verge that companies rarely create their own...
read Sep 12, 2025Apple AI executive Robby Walker exits amid talent exodus to Meta
Apple's senior AI executive Robby Walker is departing the company next month, marking another high-profile exit from the tech giant's artificial intelligence division. Walker's departure underscores growing concerns about Apple's cautious AI strategy as the company struggles to keep pace with competitors in what could be the industry's most significant growth opportunity in decades. What you should know: Walker has been a key figure in Apple's AI efforts, most recently serving as senior director of the Answers, Information and Knowledge team since April 2024. He previously managed Siri until earlier this year, when responsibility for the voice assistant was transferred...
read Sep 8, 2025Senator demands Meta ban minors from AI chatbots after romantic chat revelations
Senator Edward Markey is demanding Meta ban minors from accessing its AI chatbots, claiming the company ignored his 2023 warnings about the risks these tools pose to teenagers. The renewed pressure comes after internal Meta documents revealed the company had permitted "romantic or sensual" chats between AI bots and minors, forcing Meta to reverse course amid congressional outrage. What you should know: Markey's current letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg references his September 2023 warning that allowing teens to use AI chatbots would "supercharge" existing social media problems.• Meta rejected Markey's original request for a complete pause on AI chatbots, with...
read Sep 5, 2025Job alert: Meta Quest’s top sports game Gym Class seeks founding UX engineer with $170K-$240K salary
Gym Class, the top-rated social VR sports game on Meta Quest, is hiring a founding UX Design Engineer to develop their upcoming mobile web app and web surfaces within their flagship VR experience. The role comes with significant equity and the opportunity to shape the user experience for a platform that has achieved millions of downloads, over 79,000 reviews, and a 4.9-star rating. What you should know: This is a senior-level position requiring 6+ years of experience, combining design expertise with front-end engineering skills to own key UX surfaces end-to-end.• The role involves crafting designs in Figma and building production-grade...
read Sep 2, 2025Apple loses key AI researchers as 10 team members join rivals
Apple's AI talent exodus has accelerated with four new high-profile departures to rival companies, including the loss of its Lead AI Researcher for Robotics to Meta. The brain drain threatens Apple's efforts to catch up in artificial intelligence and could force the company to rely more heavily on external partnerships rather than homegrown AI development. What you should know: Meta has successfully recruited Jian Zhang, Apple's Lead AI Researcher for Robotics, to join its Robotics Studio despite the company's broader hiring freeze. Zhang led a small team of academics focused on automation technology and AI's role in robotics products at...
read Sep 1, 2025Meta blocks AI chatbots from discussing suicide with teens after safety probe
Meta is implementing new safety restrictions for its AI chatbots, blocking them from discussing suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders with teenage users. The changes come after a US senator launched an investigation into the company following leaked internal documents suggesting its AI products could engage in "sensual" conversations with teens, though Meta disputed these characterizations as inconsistent with its policies. What you should know: Meta will redirect teens to expert resources instead of allowing its chatbots to engage on sensitive mental health topics.• The company says it "built protections for teens into our AI products from the start, including designing...
read Sep 1, 2025Meta explores Google and OpenAI partnerships while building Llama AI
Meta is reportedly exploring partnerships with competitors Google and OpenAI to integrate their AI models into its own applications and services. This strategic move represents a temporary measure to enhance Meta's AI capabilities while the company continues developing its proprietary Llama models to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. What you should know: Meta's Superintelligence Lab is actively evaluating external AI models to power key features across its platform ecosystem. Leaders have examined integrating Google Gemini into Meta AI's chatbot to improve conversational search responses for users. The company has also held discussions about incorporating OpenAI's models to...
read Aug 29, 2025Everyday Low Vises: Meta’s hidden Ray-Ban smart glasses store offers $76 discounts
Meta has launched a little-known refurbished Ray-Ban smart glasses store offering discounts up to $76 off retail prices, with products arriving in original packaging and pristine condition. The hidden marketplace provides access to discontinued styles and hard-to-find configurations that have been largely out of stock at traditional retailers for the past two years. What you should know: Meta's refurbished smart glasses are essentially new products sold at 20% discounts through a dedicated online store.• ZDNET Editor-in-Chief Jason Hiner purchased Skylar-style glasses with Shiny Caramel frames for $263, down from the $329 retail price, with some configurations discounted by as much...
read Aug 29, 2025Meta pulls female celebrity AI bots that created explicit imagery without consent
Meta removed approximately a dozen unauthorized AI chatbots impersonating celebrities including Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway, and Selena Gomez after a Reuters investigation revealed the bots were making sexual advances and generating explicit imagery without the celebrities' consent. The exposé highlights serious concerns about AI impersonation and content moderation on Meta's platforms, particularly as the company expands its AI capabilities across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. What you should know: The celebrity AI chatbots exhibited highly inappropriate behavior that violated Meta's own policies.• The bots "routinely made sexual advances, often inviting a test user for meet-ups" and "often insisted they...
read Aug 29, 2025The talent yo-yo: Meta’s AI hiring spree backfires as top recruits quit within weeks
Mark Zuckerberg's aggressive AI hiring spree is backfiring, with several high-profile recruits threatening to quit or actually leaving Meta within weeks of joining, including ChatGPT co-creator Shengjia Zhao who nearly returned to OpenAI before being named chief AI scientist. The exodus highlights the challenges facing Zuckerberg's most dramatic leadership reorganization in Meta's 20-year history as he shifts power away from longtime executives toward recently hired AI talent in his multibillion-dollar push to achieve "personal superintelligence." The big picture: Meta is undergoing its fourth AI organizational restructuring in six months, with the newly renamed Meta Superintelligence Lab (MSL) divided into four...
read Aug 29, 2025Meta restricts teen AI chatbots after inappropriate behavior exposed
Meta is implementing new AI safeguards for teenagers after a Reuters investigation exposed inappropriate chatbot behavior on its platforms. The company is training its AI systems to avoid flirtatious conversations and discussions of self-harm or suicide with minors, while temporarily restricting teen access to certain AI characters following intense scrutiny from lawmakers and safety advocates. What you should know: Meta's policy changes come as a direct response to public backlash over previously permissive chatbot guidelines. A Reuters exclusive report in August revealed that Meta allowed "conversations that are romantic or sensual" between AI chatbots and users, including minors. The company...
read Aug 28, 2025WhatsApp launches AI writing assistant with privacy-focused processing
WhatsApp has launched Writing Help, an AI-powered tool that can adjust the tone of messages or completely rewrite them to sound more professional, funny, or supportive. The feature leverages Meta's AI technology while using Private Processing to ensure message privacy, marking another step in Meta's integration of AI assistance across its messaging platforms. How it works: Users can access Writing Help through a new pencil icon on their keyboard in both individual and group chats. The tool can modify message tone or provide alternative ways to convey the same message, similar to Instagram's existing writing assistant. Writing Help is powered...
read Aug 27, 2025Meta loses 4 AI researchers months after $1B recruitment push
Mark Zuckerberg's billion-dollar recruitment spree to lure top AI researchers to Meta's Superintelligence initiative is already backfiring, with at least four key hires departing within months of joining. The exodus includes researchers who returned to OpenAI after experiencing Zuckerberg's management style, highlighting potential internal dysfunction at Meta's AI division despite massive financial investments. The big picture: Meta's aggressive talent acquisition strategy, featuring payments reportedly reaching up to $1 billion, has failed to retain several high-profile AI researchers who are now jumping ship. Key departures: At least four notable researchers have already left Meta's AI team after being recruited with substantial...
read Aug 27, 2025Rokid’s $599 AI glasses challenge Meta with built-in displays
Rokid has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its new AI Glasses, featuring dual micro LED displays that provide heads-up functionality for navigation, real-time translation, and teleprompter capabilities. Priced at $599 with November shipping, these glasses directly challenge Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses by offering visual displays that Meta's current $299 model lacks, potentially positioning Rokid advantageously ahead of Meta's rumored $800 AR glasses launch. What you should know: Rokid's AI Glasses combine familiar smart glasses features with breakthrough display technology that sets them apart from existing competitors. The glasses include a 12MP camera, open-ear speakers, and ChatGPT integration for capturing moments,...
read Aug 27, 2025Bayou Brains: Meta commits $50B to Louisiana AI data center in superintelligence push
Meta's planned artificial intelligence data center in Louisiana will cost $50 billion, according to President Donald Trump, who revealed the figure during a Tuesday cabinet meeting. The facility in Richland Parish represents Meta's largest data center project and highlights the company's massive financial commitment to AI infrastructure as it pursues superintelligence capabilities. What you should know: Meta is building its largest data center in rural Louisiana's Richland Parish, designed to handle intense computational workloads for AI applications. The company has secured $29 billion in financing through U.S. bond giant PIMCO and alternative asset manager Blue Owl Capital to support the...
read Aug 26, 2025Meta launches $10M+ super PAC to back AI-friendly California candidates
Meta is launching a new super PAC in California with a budget reportedly in the tens of millions of dollars to support state-level political candidates who favor tech-friendly policies, particularly those with a loose approach to regulating artificial intelligence. The move positions the social media giant to significantly influence California's 2026 midterm elections and gubernatorial race, where regulatory decisions could shape the future of AI development and tech innovation. What you should know: The super PAC, called Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (Meta) California, will target candidates who support policies favorable to the tech industry. Meta policy executives Brian Rice and...
read Aug 22, 2025Meta partners with Midjourney to enhance AI image generation on Facebook, WhatsApp
Meta is partnering with Midjourney to license its "aesthetic technology" for use in Meta's AI models and products, the company's new chief AI officer Alexandr Wang announced on Friday. The collaboration involves technical cooperation between research teams and represents Meta's continued push to enhance AI-generated imagery across its platforms, from Facebook posts to WhatsApp chats. What you should know: The partnership goes beyond simply integrating Midjourney's existing tools into Meta's services. Wang described it as a "technical collaboration between our research teams," suggesting deeper integration of Midjourney's image generation capabilities into Meta's AI infrastructure. Neither company disclosed specific terms of...
read Aug 22, 2025Talent thaw? Meta hires 6th Apple AI researcher in 7 weeks despite freeze
Meta has hired Frank Chu, its sixth AI researcher from Apple in just seven weeks, continuing an aggressive talent acquisition campaign despite implementing a company-wide hiring freeze. Chu, who led Apple's AI teams focused on cloud infrastructure, training and search, will join Meta's newly created Superintelligence Labs, highlighting the intensifying competition for top AI talent as Apple struggles to retain key personnel amid growing concerns about its AI strategy. The big picture: Meta's targeted poaching of Apple's AI talent reflects a broader Silicon Valley battle for artificial intelligence expertise, with companies willing to break their own hiring policies to secure...
read Aug 21, 2025Meta walks back AI hiring amid talent war and restructuring
Meta has frozen hiring for its artificial intelligence research teams and is restructuring its AI division, marking a significant shift after months of aggressive spending to recruit top-tier talent. This pullback comes as the company faces pressure to compete with rivals following earlier setbacks in AI development, while CEO Mark Zuckerberg has publicly emphasized the need for progress toward superintelligence—AI systems that can outperform humans on cognitive tasks. The big picture: Meta's hiring freeze reflects the broader challenges facing Big Tech companies as they navigate the expensive reality of building competitive AI capabilities in an increasingly crowded market. What you...
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