Meta appoints ChatGPT co-creater Shengjia Zhao to lead AI SuperIntelligence unit

Meta has appointed Shengjia Zhao, an AI researcher and co-creator of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and GPT-4, as the Chief Scientist of its newly formed SuperIntelligence Labs (MSL). Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, announced Zhao’s formal appointment, stating that Zhao co-founded the new lab and had been its lead scientist from day one. His leadership role is now formalised as the recruiting for the new unit progresses. Zhao will work directly with Zuckerberg and Alexandr Wang, Meta’s Chief AI Officer, who joined Meta in June after the company acquired a significant stake in Scale AI.

What will Zhao do at Meta?

Zhao’s responsibilities include setting the research agenda and scientific direction for the SuperIntelligence Lab. His prior work at OpenAI, where he was instrumental in developing the influential “o1” reasoning model that sparked the ‘chain of thought’ approach in AI, positions him perfectly suited to lead Meta’s push for similar breakthroughs. The ‘o1’ model’s impact is evident in its adoption by other major AI developers like Google and DeepSeek.

The Superintelligence Lab operates independently from Meta's long-established Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) division, which continues under the leadership of AI pioneer Yann LeCun. LeCun now reports to Alexandr Wang, aligning Meta's broader AI research efforts under a unified vision.

Meta’s recruitment strategy

Meta's aggressive recruitment strategy in the AI sector has attracted top talent from leading AI companies, including OpenAI, Google, Apple, and Anthropic. This includes several other influential OpenAI researchers who joined Meta alongside Zhao. Reports indicate significant compensation packages offered to secure these hires.

This strategic restructuring and talent acquisition come as Meta aims to enhance its AI capabilities, particularly following mixed reviews of its Llama 4 model. The company is reportedly working on a more advanced model, codenamed "Behemoth," expected to debut later this year. Meta is also making substantial investments in compute infrastructure, with plans to build large AI data centres, including the Prometheus and Hyperion clusters, to support its ambitious AI development goals.

Zuckerberg has consistently emphasised Meta's commitment to building open-source AGI, a strategy that sets it apart from some competitors and aims to accelerate AI advancements through community collaboration. With Shengjia Zhao at the scientific helm of the Superintelligence Lab, Meta signals its determination to establish itself as a frontrunner in the race for advanced AI.