Key Takeaways
- Meta VP Vishal Shah mandates 5x productivity boost using AI for Metaverse team
- 80% of team members must use AI daily by year-end, including non-engineers
- Company shifting from incremental 5% improvements to fundamental workflow redesign
- Meta has invested nearly $50 billion in Metaverse division amid ongoing challenges
Meta’s Metaverse division has received a bold directive from leadership: increase productivity fivefold through artificial intelligence integration. Vice President Vishal Shah communicated this ambitious goal to employees, emphasizing that AI must become a daily habit rather than an occasional tool.
The “Think 5x” Mandate
Shah’s internal message outlined a dramatic cultural shift, telling staff to “Think 5x, not 5 per cent.” He described the goal as “simple yet audacious: make AI a habit, not a novelty.”
“Our goal is simple yet audacious: make Al a habit, not a novelty. This means prioritising training and adoption for everyone, so that using Al becomes second nature, just like any other tool we rely on,” Shah wrote according to internal communications obtained by 404 Media.
Metaverse’s Challenging Journey
The Metaverse was once CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s primary vision, prompting Facebook’s rebrand to Meta in 2021. The company initially positioned the virtual world as potentially “as important as smartphones,” but the platform has struggled to meet expectations despite nearly $50 billion in investments.
Comprehensive AI Integration Plan
Shah’s directive requires AI embedding into every major codebase and workflow. The target calls for 80% of Metaverse team members to use AI in their daily routines by year-end, extending beyond engineers to include project managers and designers.
“A 5X leap in productivity isn’t about small incremental improvements, it’s about fundamentally rethinking how we work, build, and innovate,” Shah emphasized in his internal update.
The strategy focuses on eliminating workflow friction through rapid prototyping and feedback cycles measured in hours rather than weeks. All team members are encouraged to be “rolling up their sleeves and building prototypes, fixing bugs, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.”
Meta’s Broader AI Push
This Metaverse-specific directive aligns with Meta’s company-wide pivot toward AI. The tech giant is investing billions in artificial intelligence development, recruiting talent from competitors like OpenAI, and expanding US data center infrastructure.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed the priority, stating: “It’s well-known that this is a priority and we’re focused on using AI to help employees with their day-to-day work.”
CEO Mark Zuckerberg reinforced this direction on an April investor call, predicting that AI agents “are going to be doing a substantial part of AI research and development” and would “write most of Meta’s code within the next 12 to 18 months.”
The current shift represents Meta’s latest attempt to revitalize its Metaverse ambitions through comprehensive AI integration, though whether this approach will overcome the division’s challenges remains uncertain.
