Meta Names Shengjia Zhao Chief Scientist of AI Superintelligence Lab

Key Takeaways:

• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has named Shengjia Zhao, a key contributor to ChatGPT and GPT-4, as chief scientist of Meta Superintelligence Labs.
  

• Zhao previously led synthetic data at OpenAI and helped build GPT-4, mini models, 4.1, and o3.
  

• He will work directly with Zuckerberg and Alexandr Wang, Meta’s newly appointed chief AI officer and former Scale AI CEO.
  

• Meta’s AI push includes a $14 billion investment in Scale AI and plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on AI compute infrastructure.
  

• The new lab will focus on foundation models, including the open-source Llama family and Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) initiatives.

Meta’s Superintelligence Strategy Takes Shape

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has named Shengjia Zhao, a former OpenAI scientist and co-creator of ChatGPT, as the chief scientist of Meta Superintelligence Labs, the company’s new flagship AI research division. Zuckerberg made the announcement in a Threads post.

Although Zhao was initially listed alongside other new hires in a June memo, Zuckerberg clarified Friday that Zhao co-founded Meta Superintelligence Labs and had been serving as its lead scientist from the beginning. Zhao will report directly to Zuckerberg and Alexandr Wang, the former Scale AI CEO who now serves as Meta’s chief AI officer.

“Shengjia has already pioneered several breakthroughs including a new scaling paradigm and distinguished himself as a leader in the field,” Zuckerberg wrote in a social media post. “I’m looking forward to working closely with him to advance his scientific vision.”

To be clear, Meta now has two chief AI scientists, including Yann LeCun, the leader of Meta’s FAIR lab.

Zhao’s Background in Generative AI

Before joining Meta, Zhao played a key role in building OpenAI’s GPT-4, mini models, 4.1, and o3. He also led synthetic data efforts at the company. His expertise in model scaling and infrastructure has positioned him to guide Meta’s ambitious AI model development strategy.

Inside Meta Superintelligence Labs

Launched in June, Meta Superintelligence Labs is focused on developing foundation models, including Meta’s open-source Llama family of AI models, and advancing FAIR (Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research). The lab brings together top AI researchers and engineers to drive Meta’s next phase of innovation in general-purpose AI.

Zuckerberg has committed to investing “hundreds of billions of dollars” into AI compute infrastructure to support this effort. The lab’s direction will be shaped jointly by Zhao, Zuckerberg, and Wang, who together are defining Meta’s high-stakes bet on superintelligence research.

“The next few years are going to be very exciting!” Zuckerberg wrote Friday.

Q&A: Meta’s Superintelligence Lab and Shengjia Zhao

Q: Who is Shengjia Zhao and what is his role at Meta?
A: Shengjia Zhao, formerly of OpenAI, is now the chief scientist of Meta Superintelligence Labs. He co-created ChatGPT and helped develop GPT-4 and related models.

Q: What is Meta Superintelligence Labs?
A: It’s a new AI division at Meta focused on foundation models, including the Llama family, and long-term AI research efforts like FAIR.

Q: Who is Alexandr Wang and what is his connection?
A: Alexandr Wang is Meta’s chief AI officer and former CEO of Scale AI. He works directly with Zhao and Zuckerberg to guide Meta’s AI strategy.

Q: How much is Meta investing in AI?
A: Meta has already invested $14 billion in Scale AI and plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on AI compute infrastructure in coming years.

What This Means

Meta’s appointment of Shengjia Zhao marks a strategic deepening of its commitment to leading in AI superintelligence. With Zhao’s experience building ChatGPT and GPT-4, Meta is positioning itself to compete directly with OpenAI and other foundation model leaders.

By placing Zhao, Wang, and Zuckerberg at the center of its AI research, Meta is signaling that scientific leadership—not just compute scale—is now central to its AI ambitions. With Meta Superintelligence Labs now fully staffed and active, the competition to define the future of general-purpose AI is clearly accelerating.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.