Meta’s “Responsible Innovation Team,” a group meant to address “potential harm to society” caused by Facebook products, no longer exists. the wall street journalme reports that the team was recently “disbanded”, although “most” of the members will remain in other teams in the company. A Meta spokesman said The Wall Street Journal the company was “committed to the team’s goals” but did not provide a reason for the change in strategy.
The Responsible Innovation team was first formed “several years ago,” according to a 2021 written by Margaret Stewart of Meta, the Facebook VP who oversaw the team. The team was made up of engineers and people with backgrounds in civil rights and ethics, and advised the company’s product teams on “potential harm across a broad spectrum of societal issues and dilemmas,” she wrote last year. Zvika Krieger, the Meta employee who led the team, left earlier this year, according to The newspaper.
The Responsible Innovation team is not the only team that has recently been reorganized. Earlier this summer, Meta its entire AI team, which included the integration of the Responsible AI group into its Social Impact team. The company has also been looking to cut costs as revenue for the first time in its history. Meta also eliminated some projects in its division and slowed its of possible layoffs.
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