Last week, Meta made a significant hire, bringing on Clara Shih, the former CEO of Salesforce AI, to head a new team. This team will be responsible for developing artificial intelligence tools tailored for businesses.
According to Shih, the goal of this new initiative is ambitious. As she stated, “Our vision for this new product group is to make cutting-edge AI accessible to every business, empowering all to find success and own their future in the AI era.” This announcement was made on LinkedIn on November 19.
Meta’s suite of apps, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, has become an essential platform for businesses to connect with consumers, with over 200 million businesses utilizing these apps. Meanwhile, Meta’s AI endeavors have also seen significant traction, with its Llama AI models having been downloaded over 600 million times and Meta AI boasting an impressive 500 million monthly active users.
Meta recently announced its plans to boost spending on artificial intelligence during its latest profit report. According to Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s CEO, advancements in AI will play a crucial role in propelling Meta’s core business forward, making increased investment in AI a strategic necessity. As Zuckerberg explained, “Our AI investments continue to require serious infrastructure, and I expect to continue investing significantly there.”
Meta reported a significant surge in revenue for the third quarter, reaching $40.59 billion, a 19% increase and the highest in recent years. According to Mark Zuckerberg, this notable growth can be attributed to the company’s substantial advancements in artificial intelligence across its various apps and business operations.
Clara Shih, the newly appointed leader of Meta’s AI group, expressed her enthusiasm for the role, stating, “Meta’s global reach and leadership in AI represent a generational opportunity for businesses, and I couldn’t be more excited and grateful to help take this from zero to one to scale.” While the specifics of the group’s deliverables remain unclear, speculation suggests that they may focus on developing tools for creating AI-generated advertisements.
Shih brings a wealth of experience to her new role, having spent four years at Salesforce, where she led the company’s AI efforts for nearly two years. Her impressive career also includes stints at Google and Microsoft, among other prominent companies. Notably, Shih has been familiar with Meta’s ecosystem for over a decade, having written about Facebook in her 2009 book, The Facebook Era.
“Social media has been the cornerstone of my career. Today truly feels like a full-circle moment.” she said.
Following Clara Shih’s departure, Adam Evans, another seasoned executive from Salesforce, has been tapped to take over the reins of the company’s artificial intelligence endeavors, effectively succeeding Shih in this role.
