According to a Meta spokeswoman, the parent company of Facebook has abolished its Responsible AI (RAI) section, which was tasked with ensuring the safety of its artificial intelligence programs during development and implementation.
The majority of the RAI team members have been relocated to Meta’s Generative AI product division, which was founded in February. This section focuses on developing products that generate language and images in the same way as humans do. Other members of the defunct RAI team will now contribute to the AI Infrastructure project. The Information was the first to report on this news.
The decision to reshuffle the RAI team comes as Meta nears the end of its “years of efficiency,” a term used by CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a February earnings call. During this time, the company has experienced a number of redistributions, team mergers, and layoffs.
Like other key companies, Meta has been making an effort to stay up to date with the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) in the larger context of the tech industry’s increased focus on machine learning research. The company’s decision to close the RAI segment is consistent with a prevailing pattern in the technology industry.
Major companies in the business have prioritized addressing ethical and safety concerns associated with AI as they become more prevalent. Companies including Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI teamed together in July to form an industry association with the express purpose of developing safety guidelines as AI technology develops.
The representative emphasized that the company is still dedicated to giving safe and responsible AI development a top priority and investing in it, even with the reorganization and distribution of RAI team members across Meta.
A representative for Meta said, “We continue to prioritize and invest in safe and responsible AI development,” emphasizing the company’s continuous dedication to ethical AI development and application.
