Meta Platforms Inc. has finalized a multibillion-dollar investment in Scale AI and recruited the startup’s chief executive officer to join its artificial intelligence efforts — an unusual deal that signals a heightened push by the social media giant to catch up on AI development.

The new group is part of an ambitious, and costly, effort by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to gain ground on rivals like Google and OpenAI after he was frustrated by the poor reception to the company’s

Meta Platforms makes most of its money from advertising to its massive user base. As of the end of the first quarter, Meta boasted 3.43 billion daily active users across its websites and apps, which include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.

Scale AI built its business on the labor of gig workers. But those workers likely won't benefit from their new deal with Meta.

The Meta CEO is said to be hiring about 50 members for a new team working on AI-driven projects including artificial general intelligence.

Meta AI's new features allow users to edit short videos using preset artificial intelligence prompts that can transform aspects such as outfits, settings, and overall styles.

Meta Platforms, under Mark Zuckerberg's leadership, is reportedly focusing on artificial general intelligence by forming a new research unit and recruiting top researchers. This shift could follow a major investment in Scale AI and aims to address concerns over Meta's current AI performance.

I talked with a professor of advertising to make sense of what this means for all of us who use those social media platforms.