Exclusive-Zuckerberg says AI agent development going slower than expected
Meta's AI Development Progress and Internal Challenges
By Katie Paul and Courtney Rozen
AI Agent Development Timeline
NEW YORK, July 2 (Reuters) - Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told an internal town hall on Thursday that AI agent development over the last four months had not "accelerated in the way we expected," according to a recording heard by Reuters.
Company Reorganization and Job Cuts
Zuckerberg added that a company reorganization that included major job cuts was not as "clean" as it could have been and that the company's bets on the new structure "haven't come to fruition yet."
Financial Commitments to AI Infrastructure
Meta is projected to spend as much as $145 billion on AI infrastructure this year, a significant portion of Big Tech's more than $700 billion outlay on the technology.
Expected Benefits Timeline
Zuckerberg said he expects that the social media giant will begin to experience more significant benefits from its AI investments within the next three to six months.
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on Thursday.
Data Security and Employee Monitoring Program
Review of Mouse-Tracking Software Incident
In the same town hall, Meta's chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, said a review of a recent data security incident with the company's controversial mouse-tracking software indicated that no employee data was included in AI training.
Program Pause and Future Plans
Last month, Meta paused the program, which tracks employee mouse movements and digital activity for AI training, while investigating the exposure of sensitive data.
If the company turns the program back on once the review is completed, it will be on an "opt-in" basis, he said.
Initial Employee Notification
When Meta first installed the program on U.S. employees' computers in April, Bosworth told them there was no way to opt out.
(Reporting by Katie Paul in New York and Courtney Rozen in Washington; Additional reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Henderson and Matthew Lewis)
