Meta, which had recently hired a significant number of experts in artificial intelligence (AI) safety, has reportedly laid off these employees just three months later. This decision comes amid growing concerns about the potential risks associated with AI, drawing attention from the industry.
U.S. online media outlet Semafor reported on October 2 that Meta has recently terminated employees it hired from the AI safety startup Virtue AI. Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Meta, stated, "Unfortunately, this agreement did not proceed as planned," citing a clash in work styles as the reason for the layoffs. However, he emphasized that the Meta Superintelligence Lab (MSL) remains focused on AI safety, alignment, and risk management.
Earlier, in late June, Meta recruited staff including co-founders Bo Li, Dun Song, and Sanmi Koyejo from Virtue AI. At that time, Meta explained in an internal memo that maintaining a stable and reliable system while providing AI products to billions of users and developing increasingly capable agents is a fundamental element of their mission, according to Axios.
Virtue AI has previously collaborated with companies like Anthropic and OpenAI and has worked on AI security projects with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the U.S. Department of Commerce. Notably, co-founder Dun Song is a professor at UC Berkeley and co-director of the Responsible and Decentralized Intelligence Center (RDI), recognized as a researcher in AI safety. He recently co-authored a paper with leading researchers from major AI companies and academia, warning that the rapid advancement of AI capabilities could pose serious risks to humanity.
According to Yonhap News, Meta's recent actions contrast with the approaches of Anthropic and OpenAI, which have advocated for the establishment of self-regulatory bodies to slow down development in light of AI risks. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, has maintained that AI development companies should determine their own pace without external regulation. He has reportedly conveyed his opposition to the establishment of a self-regulatory body to President Donald Trump.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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