Meta's AI Team On Verge of Revolt: "Soul-Crushing" Work

Discontent is reportedly brewing within Meta's Applied AI team, a unit of approximately 6,500 engineers and product managers established three months ago. Employees describe being "draftees," compelled to join the team with little choice and tasked with generating puzzles and coding problems to train AI models. This work is characterized by some as "soul-crushing" and compared to a "gulag," reflecting a broader sentiment of unrest. The frustration recently manifested during a livestreamed employee presentation, where an attendee disrupted a session with expletives aimed at a senior AI executive. This incident highlights simmering anger within the unit, which was initially structured with a high manager-to-employee ratio. More than 1,600 Meta employees company-wide have also voiced opposition to a program that monitors their clicks and keystrokes for AI training data. Meta's chief product officer acknowledged the "brutal" current environment. In response to the growing distress, CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly addressed the situation in an internal memo, admitting that recent changes had caused significant upset and acknowledging company mistakes. He stated the company's aim is to be the best place for talented individuals to make an impact, indicating plans to address the issues.