Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and top executives are heavily focused on artificial intelligence (AI) development, according to the company’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth. He revealed that Meta has no plans to pause AI research, despite a recent open letter signed by thousands of tech leaders, including Elon Musk, urging for a temporary halt. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has been investing in AI for over a decade and established a new generative AI team in February.
The open letter, published by nonprofit Future of Life, called for a six-month pause in AI research to develop shared safety protocols for advanced AI design. It argued that “human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity.” Despite this, Bosworth rejected the idea of pausing research, saying that it is essential to invest in responsible development and that progress must continue to understand how to protect and make AI safe.
Bosworth stated that Meta plans to commercialize some of its AI technology this year, which could benefit its advertising business. The technology could help advertisers by generating targeted images for different audiences, saving both time and money. Additionally, the AI system could support the company’s metaverse technologies, allowing users to create 3D worlds through a large language model.
In response to the Future of Life letter, Meta highlighted that its Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) team has long been a proponent of open research for the benefit of all. Joelle Pineau, Vice President of AI Research at Meta, emphasized the need for collaboration between researchers, civil society, policymakers, and the industry to hold the AI community accountable and innovate responsibly.