Meta has dissolved the Responsible Innovation Team, the group created to assess the potential risks of the technologies developed by the group. Born in response to criticism for Facebook e Instagram in recent years, the team consisted of several engineers and ethics experts. But Meta says it intends to pursue its objectives, even without the support of the team.
Meta eliminates the Responsible Innovation Team
A group of about two dozen engineers, ethics, and other experts who collaborated with product development teams and privacy associations, academics and beyond. All to evaluate the possible moral implications of the choices that Meta makes about Facebook, Instagram and all its other products. But now the team is gone.
The spokesperson Eric Porterfield he says that Meta remains intent on pursuing those same goals. And that many of the team members will continue to work on those same topics in other Meta departmentseven if there is no guarantee that they will keep their work.
The reason for the change, according to Porterfield, is to devote these resources to specific products and services.
The change, however, comes at a difficult time for the platform, which is seeing a decline in its advertising sales, its core business. So much so that it recently has the hiring of new staff has slowed down.
Zuckerberg is attempting to turn the corporate focus towards the concept of metaverse, believing that the long-term future of the company is not just in social interaction. But these large investments lead to short-term difficulties: one bet that could pay off much further.
Therefore, the cancellation of the Responsible Innovation Team could have its origin in the desire to cut costs and direct them in a more orderly manner. The team partnered with over 100 groups within Meta. But now they will have to put the weight of moral responsibility on technology in another way.
Source
The Wall Street Journal