Meta’s Metaverse Workers Go AI-First - DTNS 5123  ## Metadata - Author: [[Daily Tech News Show]] - Full Title: Meta’s Metaverse Workers Go AI-First - DTNS 5123 - Category: #podcasts - URL: https://share.snipd.com/episode/164276fb-b060-4cca-9bd1-32719cc85b50 ## Document Notes ## Highlights - **Meta Pushes An AI-First Productivity Goal** - Meta is pushing metaverse teams to treat AI as a core workflow tool with a 5x productivity goal. - The company expects 80% of the metaverse team to use AI daily by year end. Transcript: Jason Howell All right. Meta still believes in the metaverse, so much so that the company is pushing its metaverse workforce to use AI tools to make their work five times faster. Meta's VP of metaverse, Vishal Shah, posted an internal message. It was actually obtained and shared by 404 Media that made clear that he was talking about no small changes. So his quote is, think 5x, not 5%. So he's pushing for his teams to treat AI as a very critical part of their workflow, not just a curiosity, not just, as he put it, a novelty. He's looking for his team members to use AI for tasks like rapid prototyping, bug fixes, all kinds of workflow improvements. And they have a goal of 80% of its metaverse team using AI daily by the end of the year. And, you know, like I've alluded to just like a minute ago, the companies seem to be doing this a lot right now is, you know, this is the moment where AI is just has been exploding. Everybody has such high expectations and high hopes for it. And now the companies are saying, well, then why don't we, you know, kind of bring it into a more permanent fixture into how we do business. ([Time 0:02:35](https://share.snipd.com/snip/2eada62c-c4d9-4d14-9606-731f12007f81)) - **AI Becoming Central To Development And Hiring** - Mark Zuckerberg expects most company code to be written by AI and plans to integrate AI into hiring. - Companies building AI are now shifting internal culture to make models central to development. Transcript: Jason Howell He has said that he expects most of the company's code to be written by AI sometime soon. Also, that new job applicants might get to use AI in coding tests. So it's kind of a big mindset shift that's happening at these large companies, especially companies that are developing a lot of these AI models that people are using. ([Time 0:04:09](https://share.snipd.com/snip/220342dc-2009-457e-a3b6-7e2b08b9f712)) - **Use AI Gains To Improve Work-Life Balance** - Consider using AI gains to improve work-life balance, not just output. - Companies could adopt shorter workweeks or redistribute productivity benefits to employees. Transcript: Jason Howell And I think this is, God, I can't remember what I read the other day that kind of alluded to this. You know, if companies are saying AI tools make you more productive, AI tools allow one worker to do, let's say in this case, you know, just using their number five times as much work, Five times more productivity. You can go two different directions with that. You could say, all right, so we now want you to be five times more productive. Or how about you use those tools to 5x your workflow and we give you a four-day work week? ([Time 0:05:20](https://share.snipd.com/snip/c6e8b31c-fae5-45be-b57e-a70474d908f9)) - **Workers Forced To Track AI Usage** - Jenn Cutter shares colleagues told to log AI use and show it in internal tracking, which increased their workload. - Employees feel forced to use AI even when it adds overhead to correct outputs. Transcript: Jenn Cutter Yeah. So I know people at a giant CMS who've been also told privately to like, you must use AI in your workflow and you must tell us how you are using AI in your workflow. And they are again, privately to do friends and such saying this has, it hasn't doubled their work, but it has added more to their work to correct this stuff. But they also need to show within the internal, internal tracking that they are using it. ([Time 0:06:04](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9357b012-2b6e-4ca3-b374-9d67586fb3bb)) - **Not All Work Is Ready For AI** - Some sectors like accounting resist AI due to accuracy and risk concerns. - Not all tasks are suitable for AI, and human oversight remains crucial. Transcript: Jason Howell Oh, because yeah, with accounting, I mean, simple maths, I've run into things where I'm like, there's no way this could get it wrong. It's just easier for me to ask the AI to add these things up than it is for me to plunk them in manually. And it totally gets it wrong. So, yeah, I would absolutely agree. There are certain things you just don't use it for, and I would not feel comfortable using it for accounting purposes. ([Time 0:07:08](https://share.snipd.com/snip/ba83355e-585b-4793-9677-97abfb190cb8)) - **Backlash Over Undisclosed AI Design Use** - Jenn recounts a game studio defending its human-made logo after backlash over AI use. - Public scrutiny now forces companies to disclose AI involvement in creative work. Transcript: Jenn Cutter Well, I know in gaming, a new game company got kind of blasted and had to release a statement online when they said that, so it was Sackbird and they said like, yes, no, no, no. Our logo was totally designed by a human, but AI may have been used in mangling it in other things on our website. Jason Howell A few pixels, just a couple of pixels. Jenn Cutter Just ignore the fact that the feet are completely different, but like it started with a human, we swear. And, but of course now everyone's looking sideways at anything they may create in the future. So like they have that risk of using it without disclosing because now we're thinking, okay, what else haven't they disclosed? ([Time 0:08:55](https://share.snipd.com/snip/94cee213-53fe-419b-b05f-84f7d2eea0ca)) - **Transparency Becomes Critical For AI Use** - Disclosure around AI usage is becoming essential as audiences scrutinize creative outputs. - Lack of transparency risks reputational damage and distrust. Transcript: Jenn Cutter Yeah. Jason Howell Yeah. Disclosure is a big, big, big part of this. I'm also curious to know what this actually means for Meta's own vision of the metaverse, right? Because like it wasn't that long ago, Meta changed, you know, Facebook changed its company name to Meta. And at that time anyways, Metaverse was the next big thing. Apparently Meta still believes it's a thing that, you know, I don't know if it believes it the next big thing or does it? I don't know what that means. Jenn Cutter I don't know. My brain still puts Metaverse in the money pit category. Yeah, mine too. Jason Howell Kind of. Yeah. I could see maybe somewhere down the line, things make more sense, but I don't see that vision coming to me very clearly right now. But maybe that's Meta's long-term goal is, yeah, you know what? ([Time 0:09:31](https://share.snipd.com/snip/af70df44-7133-4068-aad0-6509c0678530)) - **Apple Raises Bounties For Critical Exploits** - Apple boosted its top bug bounty to $2M and added $5M in extra rewards to find critical exploits. - The program targets complex exploit chains, WebKit, wireless proximity, and lockdown mode bypasses. Transcript: Jenn Cutter Apple has raised its maximum bug bounty payout to $2 million for its most critical exploit chains that could target spyware on the iPhone. Apple is also offering extra rewards totaling $5 million for hacks that bypass lockdown mode along with bugs found in its beta software. New expanded categories include WebKit and wireless proximity exploits that use any kind of radio. The changes to the program will go into effect November 2025. Apple is also reportedly about to restructure leadership as COO Jeff Williams prepares for retirement. Eddie Q is expected to oversee health and fitness divisions. Craig Federighi will lead the watchOS team. John Ternus will lead the Apple Watch hardware team. And Soompul Desai will be in charge of all health and fitness teams as he reports to Q. Apple has declined to comment on the Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman that reported on these upcoming changes. But Mark Gurman has a really good hit right here. ([Time 0:13:53](https://share.snipd.com/snip/edd2476c-dae2-44a8-8daf-f7345ae0f1ab)) - **China Tightens Inspections On GPU Shipments** - China is inspecting imported NVIDIA chips to enforce export control compliance at ports. - Inspections target H200 and RTX 6000D chips and coordinate with the Cyberspace Administration of China. Transcript: Jason Howell The Financial Times reports that China's customs officials have deployed enforcement teams to major ports to inspect data center hardware that's being brought into the country. The teams are focusing on NVIDIA's H2O and RTX 6000D chips, which are designed specifically to comply with U.S. Export controls. The inspections are coordinated with the Cyberspace Administration of China. They're designed to prevent smuggling. And this actually follows an expansion of export restrictions on rare earth minerals that are used in chip manufacturing. China clearly playing hardball with the trade negotiations with the US. I mean, it's hardball slash tennis because it keeps going over the net back and forth from one to the other. So tennis ball. No, I don't know what the merging of those two sports is. Never mind. Yeah. Jenn Cutter NVIDIA's release statement saying like, yeah, no, no, no. Like we swear that the people who you all think are helping smuggle these chips are not doing that. They're just doing totally normal business things. But all of this stuff is also early. There are going to be more developments in possibly the near future. ([Time 0:15:57](https://share.snipd.com/snip/1e17643d-e761-4e63-9ad2-c36e98230359)) - **UK Flags Google Search For Stricter Oversight** - The UK's CMA gave Google Search strategic market status, enabling stronger future regulation. - The designation includes AI search features but not Gemini for now. Transcript: Jenn Cutter UK's Competition and Markets Authority has labeled Google Search as having strategic market status. What does that mean? It means the UK sees Google as playing a dominant role in search and online ads, and this will give the regulator the ability to apply stricter rules and promote fair competition. It does not come with any immediate changes to change, but does highlight the likelihood of future requirements. Google's AI-focused search features like AI overviews and AI mode are included in the designation, but Gemini AI isn't included for the time being. Now, this is something that's been going on for over a year of the CMA researching this to make sure that they were going to get it right in their first designation of strategic market Status. Jason Howell And they're basically saying, look, we don't have anything for you right now, but be on alert because probably things are coming. And you know what? Google's pretty used to that by now, or at least they should be. ([Time 0:17:16](https://share.snipd.com/snip/88e2019f-4d8e-4ad5-8b6d-f87c7db669c7)) - **Major Campaign Hits Oracle Customers** - Google linked a mass data-theft campaign to attacks against Oracle business products, affecting 100+ companies. - The CLOP group is suspected but hasn't confirmed responsibility publicly. Transcript: Jason Howell Of Google, Google has revealed that more than 100 companies were likely affected by a major hacking campaign targeting Oracle suite of business products. The attack saw, quote, mass amounts of customer data and, quote, stolen. That's according to Google and reportedly began three months ago. Google associates associates, sorry, the attack with the CLOP group. It's CL0P, so CLOP or CL0P, but I doubt it's that. A hacking group with a long list of previous attacks under its belt. CLOP members have not mentioned on its own involvement, but have made claims recently unrelated that Oracle had, quote, bugged up their core product. So we know that Oracle is on their radar. Maybe this illustrates and is evidence that they are behind it. ([Time 0:18:21](https://share.snipd.com/snip/ae657757-7979-4196-bb41-55e54e99cdac)) - **Instagram Tests A TV App For Reels** - Instagram is exploring a dedicated TV app as Reels become the platform's focus. - The move reflects Instagram's shift from photos to short-form vertical video competing with TikTok. Transcript: Jenn Cutter Every major company always loves saying like, no, no, no, no, no. I know headlines say that we got hacked, but we didn't get hacked. A third party or a second party did. Say what Discord is saying? No, no, no, no, no. Third party supports the one who let all of your data go out. Yeah, Instagram is working on a dedicated TV app, according to CEO Adam Aseri, while speaking at the Bloomberg Screen Time Conference. He shared that the app is still in the exploratory phase and does not have a launch date at this time. This comes at a time when Instagram is also testing making Reels, the default home tab in its mobile app for select users, illustrating Instagram's evolution from a photo first platform To a short form video product that competes directly with TikTok, which does feel a little more real than the previous Facebook pivot to video. ([Time 0:19:18](https://share.snipd.com/snip/489ba9f4-f604-4730-b364-efb5f7346566)) - **Avoid Copycat Apps When Downloading Hot Releases** - Verify official sources before installing hot new apps like OpenAI's Sora to avoid fakes. - Check publisher identity and download only the app from the vendor's official store listing. Transcript: Jason Howell The Sora app for iOS continues to climb the app Store charts. As of today, it's being reported that it hit 1 million downloads in less than five days after release. Now, according to Bill Peebles, who heads the Sora team at OpenAI, that's even faster than ChatGPT hitting the same milestone, although he did not share how long it took for ChatGPT To hit that. It's made even more impressive, though, when you consider the fact that Sora requires invites and is only targeting North America. Considering it's such a hot commodity, that places it firmly in the sights of people looking to capitalize on that success by releasing copycat apps in the App Store. And app figures noted more than a dozen fake Sora branded apps that were somehow, I don't know how this happens, but they were able to pass through Apple's app review process. Fake apps also appearing in the Google Play Store. That's despite the fact that there is no official Android app for Sora currently. We're still waiting for that as an Android user. Many of those apps have since been removed, but I think this is just a nice word of caution. If you plan on installing the Sora app on your own device, be sure that it's the official one coming from OpenAI and not a duplicate or a copycat. ([Time 0:21:31](https://share.snipd.com/snip/dfae4782-d7db-4a2a-a9f7-0b583fc02524)) - **Real-Time Translation In Meetings Gets Trialed** - Jochen reports using Microsoft Teams premium live translation and expects AirPods real-time translation to help meetings. - Hosts are cautiously optimistic but hesitate to trust real-time translation for high-stakes conversations. Transcript: Jason Howell We end every episode of DTNS with some shared wisdom. Today, Jochen has another use case for live translation with AirPods. Jenn Cutter Jochen writes, I work for a Japanese company and visit the headquarters in Japan regularly. While some colleagues speak good English, others not so much. We tried using translation apps or a dedicated translation device, but it's not very conversational. In meetings, the Japanese colleagues also tend to have more in-depth, bracket-hidden, conversations in Japanese with each other and only present the important summary to us English Speakers. I think the capabilities in the new AirPods or similar devices will make meetings more effective, as shown in remote-only meetings with Microsoft Teams' premium live translation Feature. I already have several executives asking about this, showcasing Apple ad reach, but also the broader interest in those kind of tools. I will try out later this month and also see how it works in a more informal setting with a group of people and a lot of background noise. The infamous after work dinners. Love the show. Jason Howell Well, I hope Joe Chen gives us an update on how this works for them. Because there's a part of me that's like, man, I don't know about using these things in high kind of importance scenarios, like a work meeting. I don't know. I think my hesitation just stems from the fact that I haven't used them very much for anything. And so it's hard to see using them in a scenario where you better get things right. You know what I mean? Yeah. Jenn Cutter Well, I've used translation tools when doing meetings abroad and also just testing with friends and stuff. And yeah, they are extremely formal. Now, Japanese is also a very formal language when you are speaking in business terms. But even in Toronto, I have seen people use the apps back and forth when like someone's asking for help for how to get somewhere or having any kind of language barrier issue and just sometimes Having fun on TTC. So I do see this becoming more common and translation. I don't want to call it a solved problem because like things are still being worked on, but translation is one thing where I feel a little more confident using AI, but I haven't used the Real time stuff yet. And I'm looking forward to that and Joe Chen's report back. Jason Howell Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. It's the real time stuff that I have, that I have a little bit of hesitation with. Like I've used it a lot for, you know, in the browser to translate a website or, you know, take something that I'm working on and what would this be in another language? Things like that. Very informal. So I'm very curious to hear how that goes for Joe Chen. ([Time 0:27:21](https://share.snipd.com/snip/fdc5213b-1ce2-4781-a4c0-b5a7cb917276))