Meta Platforms has temporarily halted recruitment in its artificial intelligence division, a move that comes despite its massive push into superintelligence projects. The decision signals a moment of recalibration for one of the world’s leading tech giants as it balances rapid expansion with organisational restructuring.
Meta Platforms has announced a pause in hiring for its artificial intelligence (AI) division after recently recruiting more than 50 researchers and engineers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The freeze, which took effect last week, also restricts internal movement of employees across AI teams and coincides with a wider restructuring of the group. While no duration was disclosed, Meta clarified that the decision was linked to “basic organisational planning” and annual budgeting.
This comes just weeks after CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged hundreds of billions of dollars towards AI data centres in what he called a “superintelligence push.” The company has already undergone four restructuring phases in its AI unit this year, underlining the pace and pressure of global competition in advanced machine intelligence.
According to reports, Meta’s AI arm Superintelligence Labs will now be divided into four groups: a “TBD Lab” (to be determined), a products team including the Meta AI assistant, an infrastructure team, and the FAIR (Fundamental AI Research) lab for long-term research.
Meta’s move reflects a broader trend among major tech firms that are both aggressively investing in AI while also confronting growing scrutiny from regulators, policymakers, and researchers who warn of the risks of unchecked development.