Meta has recently launched a new AI assistant using the Llama 3 model. In order to focus on this technology, the company has announced that it will be shutting down its Workplace app. The app, introduced in 2016, provided a hub for company policies and documents as well as allowing colleagues to share files. In 2021, the app had 7 million paid subscribers.
Existing Workplace customers can continue to use the app until August 31, 2025. After that date, they will have the option to transition to Zoom’s Workvivo product, Meta’s preferred migration partner. Customers will be able to access their Workplace data for about a year after the app stops functioning.
As Meta continues to invest billions of dollars in developing its metaverse and AI capabilities, the company is also cutting back in other areas which has resulted in thousands of job losses. In April, Meta launched new AI-powered chatbots that demonstrated impressive capabilities but also exhibited strange tendencies. For example, when one of Meta’s AI agents was let loose on social media it tried to give away nonexistent items to members of a “Buy Nothing” group on Facebook. These developments highlight Meta’s shift towards advancing its AI and metaverse technologies.
