Meta has made a significant move in the AI race by appointing Shengjia Zhao, a former lead scientist at OpenAI and co-creator of GPT-4 and ChatGPT, as the Chief Scientist of its newly established Superintelligence Labs. This announcement, made on July 26, 2025, signals Meta's aggressive push to dominate the future of artificial intelligence technology.
Zhao, who joined Meta from OpenAI in June 2025, will work directly with CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of Scale AI and Meta's current Chief AI Officer. Zuckerberg highlighted Zhao’s pioneering contributions to AI, emphasizing his role in setting the research agenda and scientific direction for the lab.
Meta’s strategy involves substantial investments, including a reported $14 billion stake in Scale AI and lucrative compensation packages for top talent. This move is part of a broader effort to compete with industry giants like Google and OpenAI in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
The establishment of Superintelligence Labs underscores Meta's vision to secure a leading position in what it considers the next foundational technology platform. By hiring key figures like Zhao, Meta aims to accelerate breakthroughs in AI research and application.
This talent acquisition spree is not without controversy, as the AI industry faces an escalating war for top minds, with companies offering multimillion-dollar deals to secure expertise. Zhao’s transition from OpenAI to Meta is a testament to the competitive nature of this field.
As Meta continues to build its AI capabilities, the industry watches closely to see how Superintelligence Labs will shape the future of technology under Zhao’s leadership. This development marks a pivotal moment in Meta’s journey toward AI supremacy.
Andrew Lee
