Meta Platforms Inc. has taken another major step in its AI ambitions, appointing Shengjia Zhao — the co-creator of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and a key developer behind GPT-4 — as the Chief Scientist of Meta Superintelligence Labs.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement on Friday, emphasizing Zhao’s central role in the company’s new AI division. “Shengjia has already pioneered several breakthroughs including a new scaling paradigm and distinguished himself as a leader in the field,” Zuckerberg said in a social media post. “I’m looking forward to working closely with him to advance his scientific vision.”
Zhao will report directly to Zuckerberg and collaborate with Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of Scale AI, who recently joined Meta as its Chief AI Officer. The appointment highlights Meta’s aggressive AI hiring spree, which includes a massive $14 billion investment in Scale AI — one of the most significant funding moves in the sector this year.
Meta Superintelligence Labs: The Heart of Meta’s AI Future
The newly formed Meta Superintelligence Labs, announced in June, is positioned as the company’s premier research hub for cutting-edge AI development. It will focus on building large foundation models, including the open-source Llama family, as well as fundamental AI research and innovative product applications.
Although Zhao’s name was listed among several high-profile hires in the June announcement, Zuckerberg clarified on Friday that Zhao co-founded the lab and has served as its lead scientist “from day one.”
Zhao brings an impressive pedigree to the role. In addition to co-creating ChatGPT, he was instrumental in developing OpenAI’s GPT-4, 4.1, o3, and mini models, and he previously led synthetic data efforts at OpenAI — a critical component in training robust AI systems.
Zuckerberg’s AI Vision: A Multi-Billion-Dollar Bet
Zuckerberg has made it clear that Meta is going all-in on artificial intelligence. Earlier this month, he stated the company would invest “hundreds of billions of dollars” into AI compute infrastructure over the coming years.
With talent like Zhao and Wang now spearheading Meta’s AI roadmap, the company aims to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving landscape of generative AI, where rivals like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google are also ramping up development.
“The next few years are going to be very exciting!” Zuckerberg wrote in his announcement — signaling that Meta views artificial general intelligence (AGI) and foundation models as the next frontier in tech innovation.
Why This Matters
The recruitment of high-profile AI talent like Shengjia Zhao underscores Meta’s intent to lead in the global AI race. With a dedicated superintelligence lab, massive compute investments, and a growing team of elite researchers, Meta is transforming from a social media company into an AI-first enterprise.