Applied AI: Meta's AI Course Causes Frustration Among Developers
Meta's 'Applied-AI' team is facing significant frustration among developers, with internal criticisms and management acknowledging the challenging work environment.
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Meta's "Applied-AI" team is in turmoil. The frustration of developers assigned to train AI models recently erupted during an internal presentation. A senior manager described Meta's AI course as "brutal" and "insane".
In March 2026, Meta established a so-called "Applied-AI" team and assigned around 6,500 software developers to it. Their task is to support AI researchers in Meta's Superintelligence Labs, particularly through the training of AI models.
Scandal at Meta Presentation
The mood in the department is reportedly extremely poor, as Wired reports citing audio recordings and documents. During an internal presentation with thousands of participants, a scandal allegedly broke out.
One individual interrupted the livestream with a shout, expressing outrage that the members of the "Applied-AI" team were merely the "bitch" of the corporation. Furthermore, they demanded that supervisors inform a particular Meta AI manager that he was "a piece of shit".
AI Team Feels Like in a Gulag
However, this is just the tip of the iceberg, according to reports from three employees who anonymously vented their frustrations to Wired. The AI support team reportedly feels as if they are in a gulag. They suddenly feel a lack of purpose in life, have little contact with other people, and must complete unpleasant tasks every week.
Among these tasks is creating programming puzzles to test the capabilities of the AI models. Many are also dissatisfied with the other routine tasks that the highly qualified developers must perform daily, as noted by Wired.
"Applied-AI" Team or Resignation
The developers did not voluntarily join the "Applied-AI" team; they would have had to leave the company otherwise. The internal pressure was further intensified by the recent announcement of layoffs affecting around 8,000 employees, about one-tenth of the workforce.
Notably, criticism of Meta's AI course is also shared by parts of upper management. Meta's Chief Product Officer Chris Cox reportedly described the current work environment as "brutal". This has been caused by the "madness in this company" that has developed over the past months.
Zuckerberg Admits Mistakes
At least, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly admitted mistakes internally and has outlined a future perspective for the "Applied-AI" employees within the company. New roles are expected to be created in the coming months. Additionally, there will be no further mass layoffs in this year (2026).