Meta's Joel Kaplan on AI investments: Our ambition is to build 'personal superintelligence'

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  January 20, 2026 at 14:03  |  6:37  |  CNBC
Speakers
Joel Kaplan — Chief Global Affairs Officer, Meta
Andrew Ross Sorkin — Co-Anchor, Squawk Box

Summary

Joel Kaplan, Meta's chief global affairs officer, discusses Meta's $600 billion AI infrastructure investment and its ambition to build personal superintelligence. He highlights Meta's distribution advantages, wearables lead through Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses, and the need to catch up on frontier AI models. Kaplan also addresses U.S. AI policy, European regulation, and financing of the buildout.

  • Meta is investing $600 billion in AI infrastructure and U.S. jobs.
  • Kaplan says Meta aims to build personal superintelligence for its 3.5 billion users.
  • Meta AI has 1 billion monthly active users, providing a distribution advantage.
  • Meta sees wearables and smart glasses as the next computing platform.
  • Kaplan acknowledges Meta must catch up on frontier AI models this year.
  • He says Trump administration policies support American AI leadership and permit clearing.
  • Meta plans to fund infrastructure with its core business and strategic capital.
  • European regulation and tariffs remain areas Meta is managing.
Ideas
Joel Kaplan Chief Global Affairs Officer, Meta 0:58
Meta's AI superintelligence buildout and distribution advantage.
Meta is spending $600 billion on AI infrastructure and U.S. jobs to pursue personal superintelligence, leveraging its 3.5 billion-user platform and 1 billion monthly Meta AI users as distribution advantages. The company has a strong core business to fund the buildout and expects to catch up on frontier models this year, then pair those models with compelling products.
META HIGH
Joel Kaplan Chief Global Affairs Officer, Meta 2:12
Smart glasses are next computing platform.
Meta believes it has a real lead in wearables, which it views as the next computing technology. Its Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses partnership lets AI see what the user sees, hear what the user hears, and talk to them throughout the day, making glasses the right form factor to bring personal AI to people.
Smart glasses HIGH
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This CNBC video, published January 20, 2026, features Joel Kaplan discussing META, Smart glasses. 2 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Joel Kaplan  · Tickers: META, Smart glasses