Meta has appointed Shengjia Zhao, formerly of OpenAI, as the chief scientist for its Superintelligence Labs (MSL). Zhao's appointment underscores Meta's commitment to advancing its AI capabilities. He will be responsible for setting the research agenda and scientific direction of the lab, reporting directly to Mark Zuckerberg and Alex Wang.
Zhao brings significant experience from OpenAI, where he contributed to the development of models such as ChatGPT, GPT-4, and o1. His work at OpenAI involved pioneering a new scaling paradigm, crucial for developing more sophisticated AI systems. At MSL, Zhao is involved in foundational model research, contributing to the development of Meta's Llama model series and next-generation AI systems.
MSL was launched in June 2024 to unify and accelerate Meta's AI initiatives, particularly in the pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI). The lab consolidates teams working on foundation models, applied AI products, and core research. The formation of MSL and the appointment of Zhao signal Meta's ambition to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
