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Meta plans to nearly double its AI investments in 2026 as CEO Mark Zuckerberg focuses on developing personal superintelligence, signaling a long-term strategic shift toward advanced AI systems. The "infrastructure" Zuckerberg cited during the earnings call refers to Meta's ambitious data centre projects that will anchor both its current and future AI projects.
In its Q4 earnings report released Wednesday (January 28, 2026), Meta revealed that its capital expenditure on AI for 2026 would be between $115 and $135 billion. It is almost twice the amount spent last year when the company revamped its AI unit.
“As we plan for the future, we will continue to invest very significantly in infrastructure to train leading models and deliver personal super intelligence to billions of people and businesses around the world,” Zuckerberg was quoted by CNBC during the earnings call.
The Meta CEO stressed that 2026 would be a crucial year for AI, with the company's investments aimed at creating a “personal super intelligence,” which he announced last year. Zuckerberg did not reveal whether Meta will launch new AI products or whether there will be any impact on revenue generation.
"I mean, we’re going to roll out new products over the course of the year. I think the important thing is, we’re not just launching one thing, and we’re building a lot of things," the Meta CEO said during the earnings call.
According to CNBC’s report, Meta's TBD AI unit, under the leadership of CEO Alexandr Wang, has been testing a new AI model code-named Avocado. It is intended to be the successor to Meta's Llama family of AI systems.
Wang, during the recent meeting on Wednesday, said, "I expect our first models will be good but, more importantly, will show the rapid trajectory that we’re on. And then I expect us to steadily push the frontier over the course of the year as we continue to release new models.”
Differentiating Meta's vision from that of other giants in the AI field, Zuckerberg said his company was looking at “personal empowerment” through AI rather than mere automatic and efficiency gains.
“I am extremely optimistic that superintelligence will help humanity accelerate our pace of progress. But perhaps even more important is that superintelligence has the potential to begin a new era of personal empowerment where people will have greater agency to improve the world in the directions they choose,” the Meta CEO wrote in a letter published in the public domain.
“This is distinct from others in the industry who believe superintelligence should be directed centrally towards automating all valuable work, and then humanity will live on a dole of its output,” he continued while adding, “The intersection of technology and how people live is Meta's focus, and this will only become more important in the future.”
Asserting that Meta could not risk being "constrained to what others in the ecosystem are building", Zuckerberg noted that having its own model would allow the company to "shape the future of these [AI] products".
Also Read: Are We Observing the First Signs of AI Superintelligence?
Zuckerberg's comments support the vision of the “personal superintelligence” project. The Facebook founder has launched an aggressive recruitment campaign to pursue his AI ambitions. The company has hired executives from OpenAI, Apple, and Google with multibillion-dollar offers.
As global competition in AI intensifies, Meta’s aggressive investment signals a clear intent to lead the next wave of innovation. While the vision remains ambitious and complex, Meta’s expanded focus on advanced AI research, infrastructure, and talent could reshape how individuals interact with digital platforms in the years ahead.
