Meta Makes Move for AI Supremacy with Zhao at Helm
ChatGPT co-creator and renowned artificial intelligence researcher Shengya Zhao has taken the lead in Meta’s latest AI initiative. On Friday, July 25, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that Zhao is now serving as the Chief Scientist of the company’s Superintelligence Lab.
According to Zuckerberg, “Zhao will provide strategic direction to Meta’s AI research and will lead the Superintelligence Lab.” This lab operates independently from FAIR, Meta’s central AI research division, and functions under the direct supervision of Zuckerberg and Meta’s Chief AI Officer, Alex Wang.
Previously with OpenAI, Zhao played a critical role in developing key projects such as ChatGPT, GPT-4, and the O3 model. At Meta, her work will be central to the company’s renewed focus on achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and making AI technologies more open and accessible.
Zuckerberg further stated that he is personally heading the formation of a 50-member superintelligence team. Notably, three additional researchers—Lukas Biewald, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Shahua Zhai—have also joined Meta from OpenAI to support this vision.
This leadership reshuffle comes as Meta reevaluates its AI strategy following underwhelming reception to its LLaMA-4 model. In response, the company is reportedly offering generous compensation packages to attract top-tier talent in the AI space.
