Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse dreams seem to have been replaced by a new vision: an AI-generated social feed. In an earnings call on Wednesday, Zuckerberg reiterated his belief that AI will become the next big media format, making feeds “more immersive and interactive:”
We started with text, and then moved to photos when we got phones with cameras, and then moved to video when mobile networks got fast enough. Soon, we’ll see an explosion of new media formats that are more immersive and interactive, and only possible because of advances in AI.
Zuckerberg added that apps currently “feel like algorithms that recommend content.” But that’s going to change, according to Zuckerberg, as Meta’s apps will eventually greet users with AI that “understands” them, can serve up content they like, and “generate great personalized content.”
Last year, Zuckerberg similarly brought up an AI-infused social media, saying that Meta would “add yet another huge corpus of content” to its recommendation system as AI makes content “easier to create and remix.” Meta has already realized part of this plan, as it launched a new “Vibes” feed in the Meta AI app that lets you scroll through a feed of short, AI-generated videos.
During the call, Zuckerberg also hinted at a new format that will allow users to create a world or game using a prompt and then share it with friends, adding that videos could become interactive as well. “There’s definitely a version of the future where any video that you see, you can tap on and jump into it and… experience it in a more meaningful way,” Zuckerberg said.
As the call progressed, Zuckerberg didn’t bring up goals for the metaverse, instead saying that the company’s investments in virtual reality (VR) and Horizon Worlds will “pair well with these AI advances,” helping to bring these experiences to people “through mobile.” Meta’s Reality Labs, which includes a metaverse division, reported a $6.02 billion operating loss during the last three months of 2025. Earlier this month, Meta laid off at least 1,000 employees in the division, while shutting down three of its VR studios.
Meta reported revenue of $59.9 billion during the final quarter of 2025 and a net income of $22.8 billion. It seems the company plans to open up more streams of revenue by monetizing its Meta AI chatbot, too, as Zuckerberg told investors that there will be opportunities for “subscriptions and advertising” with Meta AI, lining up with TechCrunch’s report that the company plans on putting premium AI features behind a paywall.
Source: www.theverge.com
