Reports from Wired and TechCrunch describe severe frustration inside Meta's three-month-old Applied AI team, which...

Reports from Wired and TechCrunch describe severe frustration inside Meta's three-month-old Applied AI team, which comprises ~6,500 engineers tasked with training AI models. Employees describe the work as 'soul-crushing' and like a 'gulag', with many forced into the group via surprise emails and given menial tasks like generating coding puzzles. A leaked audio shows CEO Zuckerberg justified the draftee approach by claiming Meta employees are 'significantly higher' intelligence than contractors. Over 1,600 employees have signed a petition protesting keystroke monitoring for AI training data. The low morale could lead to talent attrition, hindering Meta's AI development and reducing its demand for AI chips from suppliers like NVDA, AVGO, and AMD. The unit was formed to support Meta's Superintelligence Labs, and any slowdown in AI progress may also affect partnerships with TSMC for chip fabrication.

Sources: Wired, TechCrunch