ALBAWABA - Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has appointed Shengjia Zhao, a founding figure behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT, as Chief Scientist of Meta’s newly established Superintelligence Labs, the company’s latest venture into advanced artificial intelligence research.
The announcement, reported by CNBC, marks a significant step in Zuckerberg’s aggressive AI hiring and investment campaign, which includes a $14 billion investment in Scale AI and the launch of Meta Superintelligence Labs — a division dedicated to building cutting-edge AI models and infrastructure.
Though Zhao’s name was listed in Meta’s internal June hiring memo, Zuckerberg confirmed on Friday that Zhao co-founded the Superintelligence Labs and has served as its Chief Scientist "since day one." He will work closely with Zuckerberg and Alexander Wang, the former CEO of Scale AI and now Meta’s Chief AI Officer.
In a social media post, Zuckerberg praised Zhao’s leadership in AI innovation, writing, “Shengjia has led several breakthroughs, including a new approach to scaling models. He has established himself as a leader in the field, and I look forward to working closely with him to bring his scientific vision to life.”
A Track Record of AI Innovation
Zhao’s AI credentials are extensive. At OpenAI, he played a key role in developing ChatGPT, GPT-4, and several advanced iterations such as GPT-4.1, O3, and a range of compact AI models. He also headed OpenAI’s Synthetic Data Division, contributing foundational work to model training and scalability.
His recruitment is part of Meta’s broader ambition to dominate the next generation of artificial intelligence. The Meta Superintelligence Labs will be responsible for developing foundational AI models, such as the LLaMA open-source model series, alongside conducting high-level AI research.
Billions Poured Into AI Infrastructure
Zuckerberg has recently declared that Meta is prepared to invest “hundreds of billions of dollars” into building the computing infrastructure needed to support its superintelligence ambitions. The company’s goal is to position itself at the forefront of AI development, competing with major players like OpenAI and Google DeepMind.
With Zhao now leading the scientific front and Wang overseeing strategy, Meta is positioning its Superintelligence Labs as a major force in the race toward artificial general intelligence (AGI).
