# Meta Bets Big on Generative AI, Projects $1.4 Trillion Revenue by 2035

## Meta Bets Big on Generative AI, Projects $1.4 Trillion Revenue by 2035

Meta is placing a huge bet on the future of generative AI, with internal forecasts projecting a staggering $1.4 trillion in revenue by 2035. The ambitious prediction, revealed in recently unsealed court documents, underscores the company’s aggressive push into the AI space, despite ongoing legal challenges surrounding copyright and data usage.

The documents, filed by attorneys representing authors suing Meta for allegedly using their works to train its AI models without authorization, detail Meta’s bullish outlook. While the specific definition of a “generative AI product” remains undefined, the company’s strategy is already taking shape across multiple avenues.

Meta is actively exploring various revenue streams tied to its generative AI efforts. This includes revenue-sharing agreements with companies hosting its open-source Llama AI models, as well as the recent launch of an API enabling customization and evaluation of these models. Furthermore, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has hinted at potential monetization strategies for Meta AI, the company’s AI assistant, including ad placements and a premium subscription tier.

The leaked documents also shed light on the massive investments Meta is making in its AI infrastructure. In 2024, the “GenAI” budget exceeded $900 million, and is projected to surpass $1 billion this year. This figure doesn’t even account for the significant capital expenditure required to run and train these AI models, with Meta previously announcing plans to invest between $60 billion and $80 billion on data centers in 2025.

The authors’ lawsuit alleges that Meta considered alternative paths to acquiring training data. The documents suggest that in 2023, Meta explored spending over $200 million to acquire training data for Llama, with approximately $100 million allocated for books. However, the lawsuit claims that the company ultimately opted for what the authors characterize as “pirating ebooks on a massive scale.”

In response to the allegations, a Meta spokesperson issued a statement asserting the importance of fair use in developing “transformational [open] AI models that are powering incredible innovation, productivity, and creativity.” The company maintains its disagreement with the authors’ assertions and vows to “vigorously defend ourselves and to protect the development of generative AI for the benefit of all.”

As Meta navigates legal hurdles and continues to invest heavily in AI development, the company’s bold revenue projections signal its unwavering commitment to becoming a leader in the generative AI landscape. Only time will tell if Meta can successfully transform its AI ambitions into a trillion-dollar reality.