- Despite AI strides, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reaffirms over $15 billion annual investment.
- He frames AI as an enabler to populate virtual worlds rather than a pivot.
- Executives stand firm on the long-term metaverse gamble despite near $50 billion in losses.
Meta’s metaverse focus
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is standing firm on the company’s metaverse focus despite growing investments in AI technology.
In an interview with The Verge, Zuckerberg insisted Meta remains committed to its Reality Labs metaverse division, pouring over $15 billion annually into the ambitious project.
Zuckerberg on AI
While acknowledging major strides in AI like generative models, Zuckerberg framed it as an enabling technology for Meta’s hardware and virtual worlds rather than a pivot.
He predicted AI could create responsive environments and characters to populate immersive spaces.
The comments follow Meta’s launch of several AI features leveraging new internal capabilities after the success of ChatGPT.
Metaverse investment stand
However, Zuckerberg was unequivocal that metaverse development remains the priority, even as Meta has registered nearly $50 billion in Reality Lab’s losses since 2019 per regulatory filings.
Executives’ doubling down on the multi-billion dollar metaverse gamble comes amid intense scrutiny of the payoff from investors.
But Zuckerberg urged patience, stating it could take a decade to deliver the “fully realized vision fully.”
