Meta’s efforts towards supporting its emerging technology ambitions appear to be getting cranked to 11 on the guitar amp of enterprise innovation.
Not too long ago, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, in a leaked internal memo, passionately discussed the future of Reality Labs and its place in the ever-growing XR shark tank—which is only growing currently.
Moreover, it appears that the CTO wants to build a legacy that can reflect in the years ahead, from virtual reality headsets to smart glasses, and with a recent memo from Bosworth, robotics and AI will also be a core element of building this legacy.
Speaking on robotics ambitions in the more recent memo, Bosworth noted, “our new Robotics product group will focus on research and development in the space of consumer humanoid robots with a goal of maximizing Llama’s platform capabilities.
Robotics is an emerging technology, turning AI into a tool for advancing how robotics operate within and understand physical spaces.
Bosworth added:
The core technologies we’ve already invested in and built across Reality Labs and AI are complementary to developing the advancements needed for robotics, like hand tracking, material simulation in Gemini, Aria, low-bandwidth, always-on sensors, and more.
Moreover, the AI and robotics space is an equal growth path for augmented and virtual reality technologies, as the emerging XR landscape provides tools for remotely operating robotics or helping with simulation-based environmental understanding.
“We believe that expanding our portfolio to invest in this field will only accrue value to Meta AI and our mixed and augmented reality programs,” also remarked.
Bosworth 2025 will be “Critical ” for Reality Labs
The news comes after a similar-themed Bosworth memo that noted how 2025 will be “the most critical year in my 8 years at Reality Labs.”
The memo discussed how Reality Labs aims to “drive sales, retention, and engagement” across its immersive technology solutions. “This year likely determines whether this entire effort will go down as the work of visionaries or a legendary misadventure,” Bosworth remarked.
Bosworth also added:
On paper 2024 was our most successful year to date but we aren’t sitting around celebrating because know it isn’t enough. – We haven’t actually made a dent in the world yet.
“We live in an incredible time of technological achievement and have placed ourselves at the center of it with our investments,” remarked Bosworth when speaking on XR. This sentiment could easily reflect Meta’s AI and robotics goals. There is a very good chance most of us will never get a chance like this again,” he also added.
Boz also said:
You should be doing the best work of your career right now. You should be pushing yourself to grow where needed and doubling down on your strengths. When you look back on this time, I want you to feel like you did everything in your power to make the most of it.
Meta has its hand in many innovation pots, all providing a lucrative future for Zuckerberg’s firm, where the firm will succeed and continue to build that legacy will be seen.
