Meta, the parent company behind WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram have been leaders in the effort to replace replace human jobs with A.I. automation. As reported in May 2026 by CNBC, an internal memo highlighted a restructure will terminate 8,000 jobs, will not fill approximately 6,000 open positions, and will move 7000 positions to roles focused on artificial intelligence.
We have already seen the impacts of this round of firings on the safety of their platforms as in June of 2026 Telegram security and hacker groups were full of screenshots and videos of a simple A.I. enabled vulnerability. Hackers used Meta’s AI support chatbot to take over a series of high-profile Instagram profiles by asking the support bot to change the email address associated with the target account and then performing a password reset. Targets included the Barack Obama White House account, the Chief Master Sergeant of Space Force’s account, and beauty retailer Sephora’s account.
The attack itself was very simple. First hackers used a VPN to mask their location, appearing instead local to the targets location, avoiding location verification protections. They then initiated a standard password reset, opened the support chat and asked the A.I. bot to change the email address associated with the account. It did exactly that, sending a one-time code the new email address. The bot then allowed the password reset to proceed once this one-time code was provided back.
Meta have since reported this vulnerability has been patched but it highlights a growing risk as more and more human support roles are outsourced to A.I. We are likely to see more of these types of vulnerabilities and it is an important reminder to setup two factor authentication.
