Meta's $145 Billion AI Moonshot Reaches the Moment of Truth: Zuckerberg Must Prove It Was Worth the Price

Mark Zuckerberg said Meta's artificial intelligence spending is improving advertising performance while funding new consumer and enterprise AI products, as investors weigh whether the company's record infrastructure investment can deliver lasting returns. (Credit: Mark Zuckerberg/Instagram)

Meta Platforms on Wednesday set out how it expects an artificial intelligence investment of up to $145 billion this year to generate returns, saying AI is already supporting growth in its advertising business even as the heavy spending has sharply reduced free cash flow and squeezed profits.

The US technology company behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger raised the lower end of its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to $130 billion, keeping the upper end at $145 billion, after reporting second-quarter revenue rose 28% to $60.8 billion.