Zuckerberg: AI investment could reach 200 billion USD, with uncertain success or failure

According to a report by Bloomberg cited by Phoenix Technology, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated in the podcast "Cheeky Pint" aired on Monday that the company had to commit to investing about $100 billion or $200 billion in infrastructure last year when it was still unclear whether AI products could succeed. He said, "We can't be sure either."

Zuckerberg recalled that he had asked Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang if he was certain of success. Wang stated that aside from "intuitive judgment," there was no guarantee of success, and at that time it was "completely uncertain." Chief Financial Officer Susan Li repeatedly warned that the cost of failure would be extremely high, and Zuckerberg told Wang, "I think Susan scared you quite a bit."

On Monday, Meta released a new AI model, claiming a significant leap in performance and possessing "cutting-edge capabilities." Management stated that it could compete with ChatGPT and Claude in programming and financial and legal issues. Meta also launched a personalized intelligent agent called Muse for shopping, ticket booking, and appointments. Zuckerberg mentioned that he was uncertain about consumer reactions and expected further iterations. Meta will announce its third-quarter financial report after the U.S. stock market closes on October 21. Last quarter, free cash flow fell to its lowest level in years, and the stock price dropped by 8%, but as of Monday's close, it has risen over 12% this year.