Meta Replaces Human Workers with AI in Risk Management Department

Meta informed employees in its risk and compliance division on Wednesday that their positions are being eliminated as the company shifts from manual oversight to AI-driven automated processes, marking a significant change in how the tech giant ensures adherence to federal regulatory requirements, reports Business Insider.

Michelle Protti, Meta’s chief compliance and privacy officer, announced the cuts in an internal memo, stating that the company is “moving from manual reviews to more automated processes” and noting that “routine decisions can now be handled effectively by technology.” The exact number of affected positions was not disclosed.

Automation Replaces FTC-Mandated Oversight

The layoffs impact Meta’s risk management department, a unit established after the company paid a record $5 billion Federal Trade Commission fine in 2019 following the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The division ensures global compliance with Meta’s privacy rules and was specifically created to fulfill regulatory obligations set by the FTC agreement.

“By shifting from individual manual reviews to a more consistent and automated process, we have been able to deliver more accurate and reliable compliance outcomes across Meta,” Protti wrote in the memo. The restructuring affects the Product Risk Program Manager, Shared Services, and Global Security & Privacy teams, with some operations being consolidated in London.

The cuts come just one day after Meta laid off 600 employees from its Superintelligence Labs AI division, led by chief AI officer Alexander Wang. Wang defended the reductions in a separate memo, writing that “by reducing the size of our team, fewer discussions will be needed to make decisions, and each person will be more indispensable and have greater authority and impact.”