Meta recently laid off 8,000 employees as part of a broader AI-focused restructuring. At the same time, the company has reassigned approximately 7,000 workers to new AI teams, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg seeks to strengthen Meta’s position in the artificial intelligence sector.
Internal Memo Reveals AI Team Reassignments
According to an internal memo reviewed by Business Insider (BI), thousands of employees were informed that they had been selected to join a newly formed Applied AI (AAI) group or other AI-focused teams. The initiative is part of a wider reorganization that places AI development at the center of Meta’s strategy.
One of the emails seen by BI read, “This is a reflection of your impact.” The message told recipients that they were picked for their “strong performance” and technical abilities. “You were identified as someone who can make a real impact on this team,” the email read.
Structure of New AI Teams
The newly assigned employees will work within AI-focused groups, including Applied AI, led by engineering vice president Maher Saba and reporting to chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth. Other teams include the “Agent Transformation Accelerator and Agent Data and Optimization” groups, which are focused on AI agents and model development.
Employee Reactions to the AI Draft
The internal reshuffle comes as Meta continues a series of AI-related changes across the company. The social media giant has already established a superintelligence lab, reorganized teams into smaller AI-focused units, and modified some employee job titles to “AI builder.” Among employees, reactions to the reassignment have ranged from relief to uncertainty. Several workers discussed the move on internal forums and workplace apps, with some describing the process as an “AI draft.”
“I got drafted,” one employee wrote on a Discord server used by Meta workers, the report noted. “Welcome to the draft,” another responded. According to employees who spoke to BI, participation in the initiative appears mandatory. Some workers also expressed uncertainty about the nature of their new responsibilities.
Focus on Data Labeling and Model Training
Some employees believe the new AI task forces will focus on data labeling and model training, including tasks such as tagging images and correcting chatbot responses. The initiative aligns with the expertise of Meta’s AI chief, Alexandr Wang, who previously led data-labeling company Scale AI before joining Meta.
Other Internal AI Projects
Meta has also introduced other internal AI projects. Earlier this year, the company launched the Model Capability Initiative, a tool designed to track employee interactions with computers to help train AI systems using real-world examples of human workflows. An internal post announcing the software said: “For agents to understand how people actually complete everyday tasks using computers, we need to train our models on real examples.”
In a leaked recording of an internal meeting, Zuckerberg highlighted Wang’s experience in data labeling and suggested that Meta could gain an advantage by using its own workforce to train AI systems. “I think that this is going to be a very big advantage if we can do it,” Zuckerberg said, while noting that the idea remained a “hypothesis” at the time.
Broader Implications of the Restructuring
The latest restructuring reflects Meta's growing focus on AI development, even as the company reduces headcount in other parts of its business. The move underscores Zuckerberg’s commitment to making AI a central pillar of Meta’s future strategy, despite the layoffs affecting thousands of employees.
