**The Dark Side of Meta’s Superintelligence Dream**
In a shocking turn of events, Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitious plan for a metaverse has hit a roadblock. But instead of abandoning ship, the billionaire CEO is pouring even more resources into his next big money pit: a top-secret AI unit that’s already facing catastrophic consequences.
The 6,500-staffer Applied AI team, created in March to support the Superintelligence Labs, was meant to be the crown jewel of Meta’s innovation efforts. However, morale within the team has plummeted, with employees feeling like they’re stuck in a never-ending cycle of soul-crushing busywork.
“We have zero purpose in life,” one employee confided to Wired on condition of anonymity. “It’s literally the gulag. We just have these tasks every week, and we barely interact with anyone.”
The situation has become so dire that an employee-only presentation was interrupted by a disillusioned worker who publicly called out a Meta AI executive for being “a piece of s**t.” The incident sparked a wave of outrage among colleagues, who are now demanding change.
As the company struggles to contain the fallout, employees are taking matters into their own hands. A petition signed by over 1,600 staff members has opposed a draconian new initiative that involves tracking keystrokes and clicks, with data fed to train AI models. The move has sparked concerns about employee surveillance and the erosion of trust.
Meta’s leadership is scrambling to address the crisis, with CTO Andrew Bosworth promising to provide “as much stability going forward as possible.” However, it’s unclear whether this will be enough to salvage the company’s reputation or stem the tide of talent exodus.
Zuckerberg himself acknowledged that Meta has made mistakes and will likely make more. But as the AI race heats up among competitors, one thing is clear: the future of Meta’s Superintelligence unit hangs in the balance. Will the company be able to course-correct before it’s too late? Only time will tell.
