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Goal to Shut Down the Workplace for Business App
Meta launches new AI assistant
Meta launches new AI assistant with Llama 3 model 03:33
Facebook owner Meta said on Tuesday it is shutting down its business-focused Workplace app to focus on artificial intelligence and the metaverse.
The company said it believes the AI and metaverse technologies it is developing will “fundamentally reshape the way we work” as it winds down its Workplace product, an online collaboration tool aimed at enterprise customers.
Existing customers can use Workplace until August 31, 2025, when they will have the option to transition to Zoom’s Workvivo product, which Meta called its “single preferred migration partner.” Customers will be able to view their Workplace data for approximately a year after the app stops working, according to the company.
Workplace, launched in 2016, enables file sharing between colleagues and also provides a hub for a company’s policies and documents, among other features. In 2021, the application had 7 million paid subscribers.
The decision to abandon the app comes as Meta invests billions in developing its metaverse and AI capabilities, while cutting thousands of jobs in other departments. The company launched new AI-powered chatbots in April, which displayed impressive capabilities and strange tendencies.
For example, when a Meta AI agent was released on social media, it attempted to distribute non-existent items to members of a “Buy Nothing” group on Facebook.
—With reporting from the Associated Press