Metaverse team told to work 'five times' faster with AI

Remember the metaverse? The once-hyped virtual reality concept that gave Meta its name may no longer be the hot tech buzzword it was a couple years back. Despite this dip in popularity, Meta is pushing its metaverse team to crank things up by integrating AI heavily into their workflows. According to an internal message leaked to 404 Media, Vishal Shah, Meta’s VP of Metaverse, urged his team to work not just a little faster but "five times" faster by making AI a central part of their everyday work. He emphasized that AI shouldn't be treated as a novelty but rather as a habit – something they rely on naturally, like any other essential tool. In the note, Shah encouraged project managers, designers, and cross-functional partners to dive in hands-on with AI, building prototypes, fixing bugs, and exploring what’s possible with this tech. The goal is to remove any bottlenecks and speed up product development so that the team can quickly understand how their creations actually feel and function. This push aligns with Meta’s broader strategy where AI is becoming a key driver of efficiency and innovation. This move doesn’t come as a surprise. Meta has been vocal about its AI ambitions, with a spokesperson telling Gizmodo that AI is a major priority to assist employees in their daily tasks. Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Mark Zuckerberg wants AI to handle half of Meta’s coding work by 2026. The emphasis on AI was also front and center at Meta Connect last month, where AI technology took the spotlight, albeit with some hiccups like the flawed demo of Meta’s AI glasses. Meta has also launched new AI-driven products, including Vibes, an endless feed of AI-generated videos, and has been embedding AI features into Facebook and Instagram. For instance, Facebook Dating now includes an AI-powered dating assistant. Despite these AI advancements, Meta’s bet on the metaverse still seems to be bleeding cash. Reality Labs, the division behind Meta’s VR efforts, posted a staggering loss of over $4 billion in the second quarter of 2025, showing that the user engagement hasn’t matched the company’s investments. So while the metaverse might not be the shiny new tech darling anymore, Meta is doubling down by leveraging AI to speed up development and hopefully turn things around. By pushing their teams to adopt AI as a core part of the process, Meta hopes to overcome past frustrations and deliver products that resonate with users faster than before.