Meta Appoints OpenAI’s Shengjia Zhao as Chief Scientist Amid $14 Billion AI Investment
Meta names Shengjia Zhao as chief scientist, backed by a $14 billion investment in AI.
Key Points
- • Shengjia Zhao appointed as chief scientist of Meta Superintelligence Labs.
- • Zhao is known for contributions to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and GPT-4.
- • Mark Zuckerberg announced a $14 billion investment in AI and aggressive hiring.
- • Superintelligence Labs will focus on foundation models and AI research projects.
Meta has appointed Shengjia Zhao, a prominent AI researcher and co-creator of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, as the chief scientist of its Superintelligence Labs. This news, announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg on July 25, 2025, coincides with Meta's substantial $14 billion investment in AI initiatives, signaling a robust commitment to advancing its AI capabilities.
Shengjia Zhao's leadership at Meta Superintelligence Labs is expected to steer the company towards groundbreaking AI research. Zhao has not only been instrumental in the development of OpenAI’s GPT-4 but has also led initiatives on synthetic data. Zuckerberg highlighted Zhao’s contributions by noting, "Shengjia has already pioneered several breakthroughs including a new scaling paradigm and distinguished himself as a leader in the field." This appointment aims to elevate Meta’s projects focused on foundation models and other fundamental AI research endeavors.
The formation of Meta Superintelligence Labs marks a strategic shift for the company, which plans to recruit top talent in AI and enhance its technological infrastructure dramatically. Zuckerberg previously mentioned Meta's approach involves a "hiring spree for AI talent," reflecting the company’s intention to solidify its position in a competitive landscape. Additionally, there are plans for investment that may reach "hundreds of billions of dollars" into AI computing infrastructure, promising exciting developments in Meta's AI suite.
Zhao’s appointment is seen as a significant strategic move, illustrating Meta's ambition to rival leading AI entities and innovate within the space, especially concerning open-source developments such as the Llama family. With these advancements, Meta is poised to play a prominent role in shaping the future landscape of artificial intelligence research, and Zhao's expertise is expected to drive the organization toward its ambitious research goals.
As Meta gears up for these substantial investments and new projects under Zhao's leadership, the tech community is eager to see how this will impact Meta’s AI trajectory and overall industry advancements.