News/Meta
Microsoft splits with Meta on EU’s voluntary AI compliance framework by agreeing to it
Microsoft will likely sign the European Union's voluntary AI code of practice to help companies comply with the bloc's landmark artificial intelligence rules, while Meta Platforms has rejected the guidelines. The code, developed by 13 independent experts, aims to provide legal certainty for AI companies by requiring them to publish summaries of training content and establish copyright compliance policies. What you should know: The code of practice is part of the EU's AI Act, which came into force in June 2024 and will apply to major tech companies including Google, Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Mistral. Companies that sign the voluntary...
read Jul 18, 2025Meta rejects EU AI code, calls it innovation-stifling overreach
Meta Platforms has declined to sign the European Union's artificial intelligence code of practice, with global affairs chief Joel Kaplan calling it an overreach that will "stunt" companies. The rejection comes as the EU's AI compliance framework prepares to take effect next month, highlighting growing tensions between Big Tech and European regulators over AI governance. What you should know: Meta joins a growing list of companies pushing back against Europe's new AI rulebook, which aims to improve transparency and safety around AI technology. The European Commission, the executive body of the EU, published the final iteration of its code for...
read Jul 18, 2025Meta poaches 2 Apple AI researchers for Superintelligence Labs team
Meta Platforms has hired two Apple AI researchers, Mark Lee and Tom Gunter, for its Superintelligence Labs team, according to Bloomberg. The recruitment follows Meta's recent poaching of Apple's AI chief, signaling an intensified talent war between the tech giants as they compete for top artificial intelligence expertise. What you should know: The hirings represent Meta's continued efforts to strengthen its AI capabilities by targeting Apple's research talent. Mark Lee has already started at Meta after leaving Apple in recent days, while Tom Gunter will begin work in the near future. Both researchers will join Meta's Superintelligence Labs team, which...
read Jul 18, 2025Meta taps AI executive Connor Hayes to lead Threads come September
Meta is handing off Threads to Connor Hayes, a longtime AI executive, marking the first time someone outside Instagram will lead the text-based social app. The leadership change, effective September 2025, signals Meta's growing commitment to treating Threads as a standalone platform rather than just an Instagram sidekick. What you should know: Hayes brings deep AI expertise to a platform that's been experimenting with AI-generated content in users' feeds.• Hayes previously served as head of generative AI product at Meta and was part of the original team that built the first version of Threads.• He's been with Meta since 2011,...
read Jul 16, 2025Meta boroughs into expansion plans with $100B+ AI spending on Manhattan-sized data centers
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the company will spend hundreds of billions of dollars on artificial intelligence development and construct a data center nearly the size of Manhattan. The massive investment positions Meta to compete aggressively in the race toward artificial general intelligence while leveraging its profitable advertising business to fund the ambitious AI expansion. What you should know: Meta is building multiple "titan clusters" of unprecedented scale to support its AI ambitions. The first multi-gigawatt data center, called Prometheus, is expected to come online in 2026. A second facility, Hyperion, will scale up to 5 gigawatts over the coming...
read Jul 15, 2025Meta cracks down on AI spam on Facebook with new monetization penalties for uninspired slop
Meta has announced new measures to combat AI-generated spam on Facebook, including removing monetization privileges and reducing content recommendations for accounts that repeatedly post unoriginal content. The policy targets the growing problem of AI programs creating thousands of variations of popular posts, which overwhelms platforms with synthetic material and hurts legitimate content creators. What you should know: Meta's updated policy requires content creators to add "meaningful enhancements" beyond simple watermarks or basic editing when sharing others' work to avoid penalties. Content creators can still share and comment on others' posts, but must contribute substantive value rather than simply reposting AI-generated...
read Jul 15, 2025Happy camper Zuckerberg builds tent data centers to rush 1GW+ AI supercluster online
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is deploying temporary tent-like structures to rapidly expand data center capacity in what appears to be a desperate bid to keep pace in the AI race. The unconventional approach prioritizes speed over traditional construction methods, with Meta targeting the deployment of a 1GW+ supercluster—a massive computing infrastructure designed to train increasingly power-hungry AI models. What you should know: Meta is using prefabricated modules designed specifically to get computing power online as quickly as possible, bypassing traditional construction bottlenecks. The company is "prioritizing speed above all else" by setting up these temporary structures at existing data center...
read Jul 14, 2025Meta plans massive AI data centers requiring 1,000+ megawatts each
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced plans to build multiple massive data centers dedicated to AI training, each requiring over 1,000 megawatts of electricity and covering significant portions of Manhattan if placed in New York City. The ambitious infrastructure push represents Meta's aggressive bet on developing "AI superintelligence," with the company investing "hundreds of billions of dollars into compute" to compete in the race for artificial general intelligence. What you should know: Meta is constructing several multi-gigawatt data center clusters, each far exceeding the power consumption of current supercomputers and AI facilities. The first cluster, called "Prometheus," will come online in...
read Jul 11, 2025Rural Georgia woman says Meta’s data center contaminated her well water
A rural Georgia resident has accused Meta's AI data center of contaminating her well water with sediment, claiming the facility's construction disrupted her private water supply located roughly 1,200 feet from the site. The allegation highlights growing concerns about how the massive infrastructure buildout needed to support power-hungry AI models is creating environmental disruptions across communities nationwide. What you should know: Beverly Morris, a retiree living near Meta's data center, says she's now afraid to drink her tap water due to sediment buildup she believes stems from the facility's construction. "I'm afraid to drink the water, but I still cook...
read Jul 8, 2025Apple loses key AI leader to Meta amid fierce talent competition
Apple Inc.'s top executive in charge of artificial intelligence models is leaving for Meta Platforms Inc., another setback in the iPhone maker's struggling AI efforts. Ruoming Pang, a distinguished engineer and manager in charge of the company's Apple foundation models team, is departing to join Meta's new superintelligence group, representing the latest high-profile talent loss as the social media giant aggressively recruits AI expertise. Why this matters: The departure highlights Apple's ongoing challenges in retaining top AI talent and competing with rivals like Meta, which has been on a hiring spree to build its superintelligence capabilities. Key details: Pang joined...
read Jul 7, 2025Oh, uh, what’s up? Meta’s AI chatbots will now text you first to get your attention
Meta is developing AI chatbots that can proactively initiate conversations with users, according to leaked documents reported by Business Insider. The feature, internally called "Project Omni," represents an evolution of Meta's existing AI Studio platform and aims to boost user engagement and retention as the company seeks new ways to monetize its conversational AI investments. What you should know: The proactive chatbots will only follow up with users who have already initiated previous conversations, with built-in safeguards to prevent spam. Chatbots will only send follow-up messages if a user exchanged more than five messages with the bot within a 14-day...
read Jul 1, 2025Meta launches superintelligence labs with $14.3B Scale AI investment
Meta has announced a major restructuring of its AI division, creating Meta Superintelligence Labs dedicated to developing AI systems that surpass human capabilities. CEO Mark Zuckerberg described this initiative as "the beginning of a new era for humanity," positioning Meta to intensify competition with OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic in the race toward artificial general intelligence. Leadership changes: Meta has appointed high-profile executives to lead the new superintelligence division. Alexandr Wang, former CEO of data-labeling startup Scale AI, becomes Meta's Chief AI Officer following Meta's $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI earlier this month. Nat Friedman, former GitHub CEO, will co-lead...
read Jul 1, 2025Former Google and Meta engineers launch $3M AI travel assistant
Airial Travel has launched a public beta of its AI-powered platform that automates the entire trip-planning process, from initial brainstorming to final booking. Founded by former engineers from Google, Meta, and Waymo, the company has raised $3 million in seed funding and aims to eliminate the tedious hours typically spent researching and planning vacations. How it works: Airial uses natural language processing to understand travel goals and preferences, then generates customized itineraries based on user input. Users can describe their travel ambitions in conversational language, such as "I'm taking two weeks off of work in October, and want to travel...
read Jul 1, 2025Facebook tests AI access to your camera roll for content suggestions
Facebook is testing a new feature that allows Meta AI to access users' camera rolls to generate content suggestions, even for photos that haven't been uploaded to the platform yet. The feature, currently being tested in the US and Canada, represents a significant expansion of how social media companies can access personal data, potentially raising new privacy concerns as Meta seeks to compete for younger users who have been abandoning the platform. What you should know: Users encountering Facebook's Story feature are being prompted to enable "cloud processing" through a pop-up that grants Meta AI access to their entire camera...
read Jun 26, 2025Meta’s $100B AI budget reveals Silicon Valley’s talent war strategy
Silicon Valley's artificial intelligence talent wars have reached unprecedented heights, with companies spending billions to acquire the small group of engineers who built breakthrough AI models. A recent episode of 20VC, a prominent venture capital podcast hosted by Harry Stebbings, featuring Jason Lemkin of SaaStr and Rory O'Driscoll of RGA Ventures, revealed the strategic thinking behind these massive investments and what they mean for the broader business software market. The discussion illuminated five critical dynamics reshaping how companies compete in the AI era, from Meta's defensive $100 billion spending spree to the emergence of "leverage beta" strategies that prioritize market...
read Jun 26, 2025WhatsApp launches AI message summaries to tackle unread chat overload
WhatsApp users drowning in unread messages now have an AI-powered lifeline. Meta has introduced Message Summaries, a feature that leverages artificial intelligence to distill lengthy group chats and message threads into digestible bullet points, helping users catch up without scrolling through dozens of individual messages. The feature represents Meta's latest effort to weave AI capabilities into everyday communication tools, following a broader industry trend of embedding artificial intelligence into essential productivity applications. Unlike generic AI assistants that require separate apps or interfaces, Message Summaries works directly within WhatsApp's familiar messaging environment. How Message Summaries works Message Summaries appears as a...
read Jun 25, 2025WhatsApp launches AI message summaries with privacy-first approach
WhatsApp has officially rolled out Meta AI-powered message summaries for users in the United States, allowing people to get AI-generated recaps of unread messages in any chat. The feature uses what Meta calls "Private Processing technology" to ensure neither Meta nor WhatsApp can access users' messages or the summaries themselves, addressing privacy concerns while offering a practical solution for catching up on busy group chats and conversations. What you should know: The message summary feature is designed to help users quickly catch up on conversations without scrolling through every message. Summaries work for any chat and can condense everything from...
read Jun 20, 2025Meta pursued Perplexity acquisition before $14.3B Scale AI deal
Meta approached AI search startup Perplexity AI about a potential acquisition before ultimately investing $14.3 billion in Scale AI, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The failed talks underscore CEO Mark Zuckerberg's aggressive strategy to strengthen Meta's AI capabilities amid intensifying competition with OpenAI and Google, as the company pursues multiple high-profile deals and talent acquisitions. What you should know: The Perplexity discussions did not result in a deal, with sources offering conflicting accounts of how the talks ended. One person familiar with the matter described the outcome as "mutually dissolved," while another said Perplexity walked away from the...
read Jun 20, 2025Meta launches $499 Oakley smart glasses with 3K video and 8-hour battery
Meta has announced a new line of smart glasses developed in partnership with Oakley, with the limited-edition Oakley Meta HSTN model priced at $499 and available for preorder starting July 11th. The collaboration marks Meta's expansion into the athletic performance market while building on the success of its Ray-Ban smart glasses, which have sold over two million pairs to date. What you should know: The Oakley Meta glasses target athletes and active users with enhanced durability and performance features. • The glasses offer IPX4 water resistance rating and double the battery life of Meta Ray-Bans, providing 8 hours of use...
read Jun 20, 2025Study finds Meta’s Llama 3.1 memorized 42% of Harry Potter book
New research from Stanford, Cornell, and West Virginia University reveals that Meta's Llama 3.1 70B model can reproduce 42 percent of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone verbatim, challenging claims that AI memorization is merely a "fringe behavior." The findings could significantly impact ongoing copyright lawsuits against AI companies, providing ammunition for both plaintiffs and defendants in disputes over training models on copyrighted content. What you should know: The study tested five popular open-weight AI models to see how easily they could reproduce 50-token excerpts from Books3, a collection widely used to train language models. Llama 3.1 70B dramatically outperformed...
read Jun 19, 2025Meta in talks to hire former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman for AI push
Meta is in talks to hire former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman to join the company's artificial intelligence efforts, according to a report from The Information. The social media giant is also discussing bringing on Daniel Gross, Friedman's partner in investment fund NFDG, and potentially acquiring a partial stake in their fund as part of a broader push to strengthen its AI capabilities. What you should know: Meta's recruitment efforts target two prominent figures in the tech investment world who could bolster the company's AI development. Nat Friedman previously served as CEO of GitHub, a popular platform where software developers store...
read Jun 18, 2025Hands off! Meta offers $100M signing bonuses to poach OpenAI talent
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has offered $100 million signing bonuses to recruit his company's employees, highlighting the intense competition for top AI talent. The aggressive recruitment strategy reflects Meta's push to build its superintelligence unit and catch up with competitors in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape. What they're saying: Altman disclosed the recruitment attempts during an appearance on the Uncapped podcast hosted by his brother. "They (Meta) started making giant offers to a lot of people on our team," Altman said. "You know, like $100 million signing bonuses, more than that...
read Jun 17, 2025Scale AI CEO joins Meta to lead new superintelligence unit after $14B deal
Alexandr Wang, the 28-year-old CEO and co-founder of Scale AI, is leaving his position to head up a new superintelligence unit at Meta following the company's $14 billion investment in Scale AI. The move represents Meta's aggressive push to catch up in the commercial AI race after being outpaced by competitors like OpenAI and Google, with Wang bringing crucial insights from his role at the data-labeling company that has worked with many of Meta's rivals. Why this matters: Meta has largely watched from the sidelines as other tech giants dominated AI development, particularly after its failed Metaverse gambit during the...
read Jun 16, 2025WhatsApp adds ads to Updates tab targeting 1.5B daily fish-in-a-barrel users
Meta will begin showing ads inside WhatsApp for the first time, marking a significant shift in the messaging platform's business model as the company seeks new revenue streams to fund its heavy investments in artificial intelligence. The ads will appear exclusively in WhatsApp's "Updates" tab, which attracts 1.5 billion daily visitors, allowing Meta to monetize the platform without disrupting users' private conversations. What you should know: WhatsApp will introduce advertising through its Status feature, similar to Instagram and Facebook Stories. • Ads will appear in the "Updates" tab, a section separate from users' private messaging inbox. • The Updates tab...
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