Meta Splits AI Teams, Keeps FAIR Mostly Independent

Meta is restructuring its artificial intelligence division by splitting it into an AI Products team, led by Connor Hayes, focusing on consumer tools like Meta's AI assistant and features for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and an AGI Foundations team, co-led by Ahmad Al-Dahle and Amir Frenkel, dedicated to foundational research and improving Llama models. The company's dedicated AI research unit, FAIR, will remain largely independent, except for a multimedia subgroup that will join the AGI Foundations unit. The restructuring aims to increase team ownership, speed up product development, and boost Meta’s competitiveness against rivals such as Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. No job cuts or executive departures are involved in the reshuffle. The move is part of Meta's broader strategy to leverage its user data and infrastructure in the escalating AI race. These changes follow previous internal restructures as Meta seeks to maintain technological leadership.