Meta is making big moves in artificial intelligence. The latest? Shengjia Zhao, one of the brains behind ChatGPT, is now the chief scientist of Meta’s Superintelligence Lab.
Yes, the same ChatGPT you use to write essays, code, or get dating tips. Zhao helped build it. He co-created GPT-4, the mini versions like 4.1 and o3, and shaped some of OpenAI’s most powerful tools. Now, he’s working with Mark Zuckerberg to push Meta’s AI dream forward.
Zuckerberg shared the news on Threads. He said Zhao will guide the research and science behind Meta’s Superintelligence Lab. This lab is not just another team. It was built to focus on Meta’s long-term goal: artificial general intelligence, or AGI. That means AI that can think and reason like humans.
Zhao is also a co-founder of the lab. He will work closely with Zuckerberg and Alexandr Wang, Meta’s new Chief AI Officer. Wang was hired from Scale AI, another top startup in the field. Clearly, Meta is building a dream team.
Why is Meta doing this now?
Because Llama 4 — Meta’s latest AI model — didn’t wow the world. Meanwhile, OpenAI and Google are racing ahead. Meta wants to catch up, fast. So they’re hiring top talent from rivals, offering big paychecks, and making deals with AI startups.
This talent war is heating up. Zhao is just one of several top names who left OpenAI recently. Meta seems ready to spend big to win big.
But Meta already has an AI team, right?
Yes. It’s called FAIR, led by Yann LeCun, a famous AI researcher. But the new Superintelligence Lab is separate. It’s all about the future — building full general intelligence, not just smarter chatbots.
Meta also plans to open source its work. Some experts love that. Others worry it could put powerful tools in the wrong hands. Either way, the tech world is watching.
So what does this mean for us?
Well, the same person who helped create ChatGPT is now building the next generation of AI at Meta. If you thought ChatGPT was smart, just wait. Things are about to get wild.
Meta’s AI game is no joke anymore. And Zhao’s move proves it.
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