Meta Platforms Appoints Shengjia Zhao as Chief Scientist for Superintelligence AI
A Strategic Appointment
Meta Platforms has made headlines by appointing Shengjia Zhao, a former OpenAI researcher and co-author of the original ChatGPT paper, as the Chief Scientist of its newly established Superintelligence AI group. This significant announcement was confirmed by the company on July 25.
Zhao’s Impressive Background
Zhao, who joined Meta in June, played a pivotal role in OpenAI’s early breakthroughs. His contributions include the development of ChatGPT and the company’s inaugural reasoning model known as o1. This model has been instrumental in pioneering a new wave of "chain-of-thought" AI systems, influencing various industry giants such as Google and DeepSeek.
Zuckerberg’s Endorsement
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg formally introduced Zhao’s appointment in a post on Threads, referring to him as “our lead scientist from day one.” Zuckerberg expressed enthusiasm, stating, “Now that our recruiting is going well and our team is coming together, we have decided to formalize his leadership role.”
Reporting Structure
In this new position, Zhao will report to Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of Scale AI, who also joined Meta in June as Chief AI Officer. Wang is now at the forefront of Meta’s ambition to build artificial general intelligence (AGI), which aims to think and reason at or beyond human capabilities.
Aggressive Recruitment Efforts
Meta’s latest move is part of an aggressive recruitment campaign in the AI sector. Over the past two months, the company has successfully onboarded more than a dozen researchers from well-known tech firms like OpenAI, Apple, Google, and Anthropic. Notably, two top AI scientists from Apple, Tom Gunter and Mark Lee, have joined the ranks.
Launch of the Superintelligence Lab
Meta inaugurated the Superintelligence Lab in June 2025, reinforcing its commitment to developing advanced AI models. This lab operates independently from Meta’s long-established AI research group, FAIR, which continues to be spearheaded by Yann LeCun, who now reports to Wang.
Attention on Compensation Packages
Recent recruitment activities have garnered significant attention, particularly concerning the lucrative compensation packages on offer. Reports have indicated that offers have exceeded $100 million, although the company has refuted claims of even higher figures, such as $300 million deals.
Competing with Industry Leaders
As Meta progresses, their current open-source model, LLaMA 4, has yet to match the capabilities of OpenAI’s GPT-4 or Google’s Gemini models. However, the company is set to unveil a more advanced model later this year, internally codenamed “Behemoth.”
Optimistic Outlook
Zuckerberg has expressed optimism regarding the Superintelligence Lab’s future, stating, “Together we are building an elite, talent-dense team that has the resources and long-term focus to push the frontiers of superintelligence research.”
Conclusion
Meta Platforms’ strategic appointment of Shengjia Zhao as Chief Scientist represents a bold move towards advancing artificial intelligence. Coupled with their aggressive recruitment and commitment to building a powerhouse team, the future for Meta’s Superintelligence initiative looks promising.
Questions and Answers
1. Who has been appointed as the Chief Scientist of Meta’s Superintelligence AI group?
Shengjia Zhao, a former OpenAI researcher and co-author of the original ChatGPT paper.
2. What notable developments did Zhao contribute to during his time at OpenAI?
Zhao was a key contributor to the development of ChatGPT and the o1 reasoning model, sparking advancements in chain-of-thought AI systems.
3. Who does Shengjia Zhao report to at Meta?
Zhao reports to Alexandr Wang, the Chief AI Officer who also joined Meta in June.
4. What is the focus of the Superintelligence Lab launched by Meta?
The Superintelligence Lab focuses on developing advanced AI models as part of Meta’s goal to create artificial general intelligence (AGI).
5. What are the expectations regarding Meta’s open-source model LLaMA 4 compared to its competitors?
LLaMA 4 has not yet matched the capabilities of OpenAI’s GPT-4 or Google’s Gemini models, but an advanced model codenamed “Behemoth” is expected to be released soon.
