- Meta has broken up its Responsible AI team as it looks to optimize its resources towards generative artificial intelligence projects.
- The move has come following several restructuring and layoff changes in the company in 2023.
Meta has disbanded and redistributed members of its Responsible AI division, which was dedicated to monitoring and regulating the safety and ethics of the company’s artificial intelligence projects throughout development and deployment processes. The group would identify issues in training AI models and work to prevent associated problems on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Most members from the division have been reassigned to roles in Meta’s generative AI product division. Others have been assigned to the AI infrastructure team. The generative AI team has been operating since February 2023 and playing catch up with Google, OpenAI, and others. Meta has launched Emu Video and Emu Edit, two generative AI models that could prove useful in content creation endeavors this year.
The responsible AI team already went through restructuring earlier this year, with many members being moved out from the group. Allegedly, the group was left a shell of its former self in terms of numbers and capabilities.
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The news gains importance as leading players in the AI space have put safety as a top priority for the development of AI products, especially since governments and regulators are paying greater attention to the risks associated with the emerging AI technology. Players like Microsoft, Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI have already created an industry group for this purpose.
The redistribution of the Responsible AI team members has come on the heels of numerous layoffs, restructuring efforts, and team mergers within the organization over the past few months. While the Responsible AI team members have now separated, Meta expects them to contribute to AI ethics and safety through their new roles. However, the complete removal of the team will raise questions about whether Meta is truly committed to AI products’ safe and responsible development.
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