Meta launches superintelligence labs with $14.3B Scale AI investment

Meta has announced a major restructuring of its AI division, creating Meta Superintelligence Labs dedicated to developing AI systems that surpass human capabilities. CEO Mark Zuckerberg described this initiative as “the beginning of a new era for humanity,” positioning Meta to intensify competition with OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic in the race toward artificial general intelligence.

Leadership changes: Meta has appointed high-profile executives to lead the new superintelligence division.

• Alexandr Wang, former CEO of data-labeling startup Scale AI, becomes Meta’s Chief AI Officer following Meta’s $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI earlier this month.
• Nat Friedman, former GitHub CEO, will co-lead the group, overseeing AI product development and applied research initiatives.
• Zuckerberg called Wang “the most impressive founder of his generation” in an internal memo reviewed by Bloomberg.

What they’re saying: Zuckerberg emphasized the urgency and significance of Meta’s AI ambitions in his employee memo.

• “As the pace of AI progress accelerates, developing superintelligence is coming into sight,” Zuckerberg wrote.
• “I believe this will be the beginning of a new era for humanity, and I am fully committed to doing what it takes for Meta to lead the way.”

Talent acquisition spree: Meta has aggressively recruited top AI researchers from leading competitors to bolster its superintelligence capabilities.

• The company hired 11 elite researchers from DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic, including former DeepMind scientists Jack Rae and Pei Sun.
• OpenAI researchers Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi, Shengjia Zhao, and Hongyu Ren joined Meta’s team.
• Joel Pobar from Anthropic, who previously worked at Meta for over a decade, also returned to the company.

Strategic investments: Meta is pursuing multiple acquisition targets to strengthen its AI ecosystem beyond internal development.

• The company is in acquisition talks with AI startups Perplexity AI and Runway AI.
• Meta is expected to acquire PlayAI, a company specializing in AI-generated voice replication technology.
• These moves complement Meta’s broader 2025 strategy of channeling investments into computing infrastructure, chips, data centers, and research talent.

Why this matters: The formation of Meta Superintelligence Labs signals a significant escalation in the AI arms race, as major tech companies compete to achieve artificial general intelligence that could fundamentally reshape industries and society.