Meta launches Elite AI lab for recommendations division

Meta is assembling a team of top AI specialists to refine the vibrant algorithms that captivate users on Facebook and Instagram, according to job postings and LinkedIn updates.

The MRS Research team is part of Meta Recommendation Systems, which manages the main feeds on Meta's platforms, and it has attracted professionals from TikTok and Amazon. 

MRS develops the algorithms that dictate what content appears and collaborates closely with the company's Ads section.

According to a Meta representative, MRS Research emerged from an October reorganization within MRS to consolidate relevant teams. They noted that such a team had existed in various forms over previous years.

MRS Research aims to concentrate on long-term AI research targets and publish groundbreaking findings to enhance Meta's recommendation engine, according to a job posting. 

It positions itself as a "newly formed organisation" that unites distinguished AI researchers and engineers to significantly advance current AI recommendation systems.

This new endeavor by Meta reflects its goal to harness AI to bolster its longstanding profit sources, like advertisements.

Yang Song, who serves as Meta's vice president of recommendation research, guides this project. 

He joined in November 2025 after directing user growth and recommendations at TikTok. 

At that time, he shared on LinkedIn his enthusiasm for "transforming" Meta's recommendation systems using AI.

Not long after Song's arrival, Amazon's AI analyst Lihong Li also became part of the MRS Research team, as indicated by his LinkedIn page.

The broader MRS department has recently included former OpenAI analyst Xiaolong Wang and Google analyst Fei Sha, documented in an academic article and a LinkedIn post.

Meta has opted not to comment on the specifics of its AI personnel. Attempts to reach Wang and Sha for comments have been unsuccessful.

Since the summer of 2025, the tech leader has been actively pursuing AI talent, launching its new Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), headed by Alexandr Wang, who previously led Scale AI. 

Meta has made additional hires, bringing in three AI specialists from the $12 billion firm Thinking Machines Lab, as previously noted by Business Insider.

Internally, Meta is fully engaging with AI, rebranding employees in another segment as "AI builders" and encouraging staff to vibe code new products.