Following last week's layoffs of hundreds of employees, Meta Platforms (META.US) has reassigned its metaverse business executive to oversee artificial intelligence (AI) products, signaling the company's continued efforts to refine its team while aggressively investing in the competitive AI race.

According to insiders, Vishal Shah will transition to Meta’s Superintelligence Labs team. Shah, who led Meta’s metaverse initiatives for the past four years, will now spearhead AI product development, as outlined in an internal memo sent to employees on Monday. Prior to his metaverse role, Shah managed product operations at Instagram. His new responsibilities will involve integrating Meta’s AI technologies—including its AI chatbot—into the company’s apps and wearable devices.

In light of Shah’s reassignment, Meta is also promoting two other executives within its metaverse division, which focuses on virtual and augmented reality products and software. Gabe Aul, previously in charge of Meta Horizon’s virtual world products, will now oversee all metaverse operations, including avatars and content experiences. Meanwhile, Ryan Cairns, who leads Meta’s Quest VR hardware and its Horizon OS, will retain his role but will now report directly to Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg has prioritized AI as Meta’s top focus, investing billions this year in data centers and AI researchers to keep pace with rivals like OpenAI and Alphabet’s (GOOGL.US) Google. However, Meta laid off approximately 600 employees from its AI division last week. Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang informed colleagues that the move would accelerate the division’s progress.

Zuckerberg, reportedly dissatisfied with Meta’s AI advancements, has shown heightened interest in accelerating AI development this year, leading to multiple internal reorganizations in recent months. Beyond recruiting AI researchers personally, he also established a new in-house lab, "TBD Labs," dedicated to developing cutting-edge AI models.

Bosworth reassured employees that metaverse initiatives remain critical, stating in a memo that the priority "remains unchanged and continues to be a company-wide focus." He added, "We’ve proven our thesis to the industry, and as competitors enter the space to catch up, we must solidify our hard-earned lead."

Meta is set to report its Q3 earnings after the market closes on Wednesday, with AI expected to be a key topic during Zuckerberg’s investor call.