Menlo Park: Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has acknowledged that the company’s efforts to develop AI agents are progressing more slowly than anticipated, despite billions of dollars in investment and a major organisational restructuring focused on artificial intelligence.

The remarks come weeks after Meta laid off around 8,000 employees, reassigned approximately 7,000 workers to AI-focused teams and accelerated investments in AI infrastructure as part of its long-term strategy to build advanced AI systems.

Zuckerberg says AI agent progress has slowed

Speaking during an internal discussion, Zuckerberg reportedly admitted that the pace of AI agent development has not matched the company’s expectations over the past several months.

According to Reuters, Zuckerberg said, “The trajectory of the agentic development over at least the last four months hasn’t really accelerated in the way that we expected.”

AI agents are software systems powered by large language models that can independently perform tasks such as coding, research, planning, automation and workflow management with minimal human intervention.

Despite the slower-than-expected progress, Zuckerberg said Meta remains committed to its broader vision of achieving “superintelligence” and expects to see more meaningful returns from its AI investments within the next three to six months.

Billions invested in AI infrastructure

Meta has significantly increased spending on artificial intelligence over the past year.

The company is projected to invest as much as $145 billion in AI infrastructure during the current year, funding data centres, specialised AI chips, computing capacity and advanced model development.

Alongside infrastructure investments, Meta has continued acquiring AI-focused companies and talent to strengthen its capabilities.

The company previously acquired Moltbook, a social media platform centred on AI agents, and integrated its team into Meta’s AI division to accelerate product development.

Restructuring reshaped Meta’s workforce

Meta has undertaken one of its largest internal reorganisations in recent months as it prioritises artificial intelligence.

During January and February, Zuckerberg said senior executives were concerned that the company was not moving quickly enough in its AI transformation.

In March, Meta established a new Applied AI division and reassigned approximately 6,500 engineers and product managers from other business units to AI-related projects.

The company later laid off roughly 10 per cent of its global workforce, affecting about 8,000 employees, reassigned around 7,000 staff into AI-native teams and eliminated approximately 6,000 planned job openings.

While these changes were intended to accelerate AI innovation, Zuckerberg acknowledged that the restructuring has not yet produced the expected results.

Internal communication also faced criticism

Meta’s restructuring reportedly created uncertainty among employees.

Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth previously acknowledged shortcomings in the company’s communication strategy.

According to reports, Bosworth described Meta’s explanation of the restructuring as an “atrocious” job, admitting that the company had failed to clearly communicate the vision behind the organisational changes.

Some employees also reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over being reassigned to AI-focused roles during the restructuring process.

Meta clarifies employee monitoring concerns

Earlier this year, Meta also faced criticism after reports emerged that it had introduced software to monitor employee mouse movements and keystrokes as part of efforts to improve AI systems.

The initiative triggered concerns over employee privacy, prompting the company to pause the programme.

Bosworth later clarified that an internal review found no employee data had been used to train AI models.

He also stated that participation would remain voluntary if the initiative were reintroduced, adding that employees unwilling to participate would not face any consequences.

AI remains Meta’s top strategic priority

Despite the slower pace of AI agent development, Meta continues to place artificial intelligence at the centre of its long-term business strategy.

The company is investing heavily in AI infrastructure, advanced models and enterprise applications while competing with rivals including OpenAI, Anthropic and Google in the rapidly evolving AI market.

Meta believes AI agents will eventually play a key role in automating complex digital tasks for businesses and consumers.

Conclusion

Mark Zuckerberg’s acknowledgement that AI agent development is progressing more slowly than expected highlights the challenges of building advanced AI systems, even with substantial financial investment. While Meta continues investing billions in AI infrastructure and restructuring its workforce, the company expects the benefits of these efforts to become more visible over the next few months.