In a strategic move to bolster its artificial intelligence capabilities, Meta has appointed Shengjia Zhao as the Chief Scientist of its newly established AI unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's CEO, announced this development, highlighting Zhao's significant contributions to OpenAI's breakthroughs such as ChatGPT, GPT-4, and the pioneering AI reasoning model, o1.
Zhao's appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Meta, as the company ramps up its efforts in the AI domain. His leadership role formalizes a partnership that began with the co-founding of MSL, and it signals a new chapter in Meta's research agenda under the overarching guidance of Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of Scale AI.
Wang, noted for his business acumen rather than research pedigree, benefits from the addition of Zhao, whose reputation for advancing the frontiers of AI models complements the leadership dynamic. Meta's commitment to strengthening its AI unit extends beyond leadership, with the recruitment of high-caliber researchers from industry giants like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Apple, enriching the unit's expertise.
Zuckerberg's emphasis on Zhao's pioneering work, particularly the "new scaling paradigm," underscores Meta's focus on AI reasoning models, a critical area where MSL aims to make its mark. This focus is further supported by the recruitment of other influential researchers from OpenAI, including Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi, and Hongyu Ren, as well as additional talent from OpenAI's Zurich office.
Meta's aggressive recruitment strategy, which involved personal outreach from Zuckerberg and enticing compensation packages, demonstrates the company's determination to establish MSL as a formidable contender in the AI space. The investment in cloud computing infrastructure, including the 1 gigawatt Prometheus cluster, positions Meta to conduct extensive training for state-of-the-art AI models.
By 2026, MSL is expected to leverage this infrastructure, which will place Meta among the first technology companies with an AI training cluster of such magnitude. This development is crucial for the creation of cutting-edge AI models that can compete with the likes of OpenAI and Google.
With Zhao on board, Meta now boasts two chief AI scientists, including Yann LeCun, who leads the Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) lab. While FAIR concentrates on long-term AI research, the collaboration and synergy between Meta's AI units will be instrumental in driving the company's AI advancements.
Meta's AI leadership team, with Zhao at the helm of MSL, is now well-positioned to steer the company towards a future where it can challenge the AI landscape's current titans.