I have found that I am a very forgiving type of person. I'm willing to accept all the bad things that the rise of generative AI throws at me, as long as I can draw something positive from it. And in this case, the possibility exists that I may never have to mention the Zuckerberg metaverse again.

Praise be to our new AI overlords. My work is no longer important.

The Information (opens in new tab) (via BusinessInsider (opens in new tab)) reports that Meta is refraining from even mentioning last year's buzzword. And about the etymology of the company's new name.

Meta is no longer pitching the Metaverse in conversations with advertisers, instead trying to get them to endorse short-form videos and AI tools like Tiktok. This is in contrast to last year, when Zuckerberg was hopeful about the future of the Internet. [Indeed, Meta is betting hard on what was seen as some sort of inevitable future computing existence and, until recently, seemed willing to throw cash into the big black hole labeled the "Metaverse."

Meta's Reality Labs division, part of its VR and Metaverse-focused business, has been losing money at a horrific and certainly unsustainable pace since its inception. In the most recent quarter alone, it lost $4.279 billion (open in new tab).

And with the growth of generative AI and more traditional AI continuing unabated and the interest in things like ChatGPT, it is understandable why the company would want to change its messaging somewhat.

"Look," says an increasingly desperate Meta executive in a tight-fitting sweater in a conference room full of advertisers, "we've got to get this right.

"No, it's not like ChatGPT... No, it's not like Bard... No, no, I'm not going to go on a fascistic rant on a moment's notice. Yeah, you might want that option.

Apparently, Meta's AI tools could help shove targeted ads down Facebook users' throats. Perhaps to fill the holes left by layoffs around the company (opens in new tab).