Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is requiring its employees working on the virtual reality world "Metaverse" to use artificial intelligence (AI). In an internal message obtained by 404 Media, Vishal Shah, Vice President of Metaverse, told the Metaverse team to work five times faster with AI.
Redaksiya reports that in his letter to employees, Shah stated, "Our goal is simple yet bold: to make AI a habit, not a novelty. This means prioritizing training and adoption for everyone so that using AI becomes second nature, just like any other tool we rely on." The letter continued, according to 404 Media, "I want [project managers], designers, and [cross-functional] partners to roll up their sleeves and build prototypes, fix bugs, and push the boundaries of what's possible." "I want us to move 5x faster by removing the friction that slows us down. And 5x faster to understand how our products feel."
A Meta spokesperson told Gizmodo that this is a known priority and Meta is focused on using AI to help its employees in their daily work. Mashable reported in April that Zuckerberg wanted to entrust half of Meta's coding to AI by 2026. This statement came shortly after AI was a central focus at the "Meta Connect" developer conference last month and the debut of Meta's "AI glasses" (a failed demo). Meta also introduced "Vibes," an endless video stream generated by AI, and continues to integrate AI into Facebook and Instagram, such as adding an "AI dating assistant" to Facebook Dating. Meta's VR efforts continue to result in losses, with Meta's "Reality Labs" reporting over $4 billion in losses in the second quarter of 2025.