Meta CEO Says AI Agent Progress Lags Expectations but Expects Benefits Within Three to Six Months

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg told employees on Thursday that progress on AI agent technology has lagged behind internal expectations. He said the company expects to see some benefits from its AI work within three to six months and described the effort as a journey that will require sustained work amid intense competition.

Chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth told the same internal town hall that Meta's AI training program, which recorded employees' keystrokes and mouse movements, will become opt-in only if resumed.

Bosworth said the program produced more useful data than anticipated, though he acknowledged its rollout had harmed morale and trust inside the company. Meta paused the mandatory version of the program last month after an internal leak exposed employee conversations and activity to colleagues. The company laid off roughly 8,000 people, or 10 percent of its workforce, in May.

Last month it also offered engineers the option to exit its Applied AI task force after reassigning thousands to the unit. Bosworth had previously told staff that morale was among the lowest levels in Meta's 20-year history. The company is investing tens of billions of dollars in AI talent and infrastructure.

Meta declined to comment on the town hall remarks.