Meta has made considerable investments in artificial intelligence, such as AI chatbots, companions, the boundless AI content generator Vibes, and an AI-driven dating assistant. Nonetheless, this enthusiasm hasn’t guaranteed job security for every employee. On Wednesday, Meta’s Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang revealed in a memo that the company is dismissing approximately 600 employees from its AI division. The news, initially reported by Axios and affirmed by CNBC, impacts personnel engaged in AI infrastructure, the Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR) group, and other product-focused teams.

In spite of the layoffs, Meta continues to recruit for its newly established superintelligence division, known as TBD Lab.

Affected employees were notified that their final day will be November 21 and are presently in a “non-working notice period.” The company is offering 16 weeks of severance pay, in addition to two extra weeks for every year of service, and is encouraging impacted employees to seek other positions within Meta.

“By downsizing our team, fewer discussions will be needed to reach a decision, and each individual will carry more weight and have broader influence and significance,” Wang stated in the internal memo, as reported by TechCrunch.

The layoffs do not appear to signal a withdrawal from AI. Just a day prior, Reuters reported that Meta secured a $27 billion financing agreement with Blue Owl Capital to facilitate a substantial expansion of its data centers — a step analysts assert is vital for bolstering its next generation of AI tools.

This follows an intensive AI recruitment drive. In recent months, Meta has drawn top professionals from OpenAI, welcomed Wang to the team, and invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI.