Meta has announced new job openings for its metaverse unit at its California headquarters, following recent layoffs at its Reality Labs unit. The social networking giant is looking for experts skilled in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), suggesting it may integrate the new technology with its metaverse-related efforts in the future. Under CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the company has been developing technology related to software and hardware for the metaverse since it was renamed from Facebook to Meta in 2021.
Meta’s recent job listing suggests that artificial intelligence is coming to the gaming metaverse
A new job listing suggests that Meta is considering the fusion of generative AI technology with games that feature virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR).
The listing states that the role on the leadership team for Meta Metaverse Content would include mapping the company’s GenAI strategy for games (starting with Reality Labs) with a focus on Horizon, to build “the next generation of content through generative AI” — including AR, VR and MR content .
Meta Horizon OS is an operating system (OS) developed by the company to power its Quest headsets, which are the gateway to Meta’s impressive gaming ecosystem that includes titles such as Horizon Worlds.
According to the job description, the employee would work as an individual contributor to finalize Meta’s GenAI strategy for content and game creation. This will include working with game creators and developers, as well as conducting research into new user experiences (including new forms of gameplay) and prototyping them. In addition, the assignee will also be responsible for managing the R&D budget to complete ‘multiple experimental work streams’, according to the company.
Meta to increase focus on streamlining the team’s metaverse
Last month, Meta split the Reality Labs team into two parts – one to oversee initiatives related to the metaverse and the other to focus on other advanced technologies like AR, VR. Reality Labs, founded by Zuckerberg in 2022, was the focal point of Meta’s research into metaverse technology.
At the time, the company reportedly announced multiple layoffs as part of a restructuring of Reality Labs.
Under its leader Vishal Shah, Reality Labs’ metaverse unit will handle development related to the Quest VR headset, Horizon OS and Meta’s social VR platform Horizon Worlds.
Reality Labs has remained a loser since its inception.
The unit lost $13.7 billion (roughly Rs. 1,12,200 crore) in 2022, with a subsequent loss of $46.5 billion while generating nearly $11 billion (roughly Rs. 91,744 crore) in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2023.
