In a stunning revelation from recent court filings, Meta‘s ambitious plans for artificial intelligence have come to light, projecting a meteoric rise in AI-related revenue from $3 billion in 2025 to an astonishing $1.4 trillion by 2035. These figures emerged during ongoing legal proceedings where authors are suing Meta for allegedly using their works without authorization to train its AI systems.
The lawsuit not only exposes Meta’s aggressive AI expansion strategy but also underscores the broader challenges tech giants face regarding data usage and intellectual property rights in the AI era.
Meta’s AI Ambitions: A Closer Look
Meta’s journey into AI has been marked by substantial investments and strategic positioning. In January 2025, the company announced plans to invest up to $65 billion in AI-related projects throughout the year, including the construction of massive new data centers. This commitment is further evidenced by Meta’s revised capital expenditure projections for 2025, now ranging from $64 to $72 billion, up from the previous target of $60-65 billion.
- Meta AI: An AI assistant expected to display advertisements and offer premium subscription features
- Llama model collection: Open for certain companies to use with revenue-sharing arrangements
- Llama 4: A recently launched large language model
- AI-integrated features across platforms like WhatsApp and Ray-Ban smart glasses
CEO Mark Zuckerberg reported during the Q1 earnings call that nearly one billion people are already using Meta AI in some capacity across these various applications.
Infrastructure and Investment
To support its ambitious AI goals, Meta is undertaking massive infrastructure projects. The company plans to bring around a gigawatt of computing power online in 2025 and is constructing a data center described as “so large that it would cover a significant part of Manhattan.” By year-end, Meta is projected to have more than 1.3 million graphics processing units (GPUs) powering its AI initiatives.
Internal documents reveal that Meta’s budget for “GenAI” products exceeded $900 million in 2024 and is set to surpass $1 billion in 2025. Despite these substantial investments, Meta has lowered its full-year operating expense guidance by around $1 billion to a range of $113–118 billion, partly due to reduced hiring plans.
Legal Challenges and Ethical Concerns
The ongoing lawsuit against Meta highlights the contentious issue of data acquisition and usage in AI development. Authors allege that the company used their written works without proper authorization to train its AI systems. This case is part of a broader debate on how tech companies should handle data usage and intellectual property rights in the AI era.
The outcome of this legal battle could potentially impact Meta’s AI development approach and set precedents for the industry. It raises critical questions about the balance between technological advancement and creators’ rights.
Market Potential and Challenges
Meta’s projection of $1.4 trillion in AI revenue by 2035 represents an extraordinarily ambitious target. While the company is making substantial investments to achieve this goal, several factors could influence its realization:
- Market competition
- Regulatory challenges
- Technological evolution
- Execution capabilities
Meta is already facing regulatory hurdles in Europe, with the European Commission ruling that the company’s ‘ad-free subscription’ option violates the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
On a positive note, sales of Meta’s AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses have tripled year-over-year according to recent earnings reports, indicating growing consumer interest in AI-integrated products.
As the AI landscape continues to evolve, Meta’s journey towards its trillion-dollar AI revenue goal will be closely watched by industry observers, investors, and competitors alike. The company’s ability to navigate legal challenges, regulatory hurdles, and market dynamics while delivering innovative AI products will be crucial in determining whether these ambitious projections can become a reality.
