Meta appoints ChatGPT co-creator Shengjia Zhao as Chief Scientist of Superintelligence Lab

In a significant development, Meta Platforms has appointed Shengjia Zhao, a key figure behind ChatGPT and GPT-4, as the chief scientist of its newly established Superintelligence Lab. This announcement, made by CEO Mark Zuckerberg via a post on Threads, underscores Meta's commitment to enhancing its advanced artificial intelligence capabilities. Zhao's role will involve setting the research agenda and scientific trajectory for the lab, collaborating closely with Zuckerberg and Meta’s Chief AI Officer, Alexandr Wang. Wang, who transitioned to Meta from Scale AI, has been instrumental in driving the company’s AI initiatives. Zhao's previous experience as a research scientist at OpenAI saw him contribute to groundbreaking projects, including various iterations of GPT-4. His recruitment is part of a broader trend as Meta competes fiercely for top AI talent in Silicon Valley, especially following the lukewarm reception of its Llama 4 model. To attract leading researchers, Meta has started offering competitive compensation packages and forging partnerships with startups. The Superintelligence Lab is designed to consolidate Meta's cutting-edge AI research, with a dedicated focus on developing artificial general intelligence. Zhao is noted as a co-founder of the lab, which operates separately from Meta's established AI research division, FAIR, led by deep learning innovator Yann LeCun. Zuckerberg has articulated a vision for creating 'full general intelligence' and aims to make much of Meta's AI research available as open-source. This strategy has sparked a range of reactions within the AI research community, with some praising the transparency while others express concerns regarding potential safety issues and the risk of misuse.