Meta Names ChatGPT Co-Creator as Chief Scientist of New Superintelligence Lab

Meta Platforms has named Shengjia Zhao, a co-creator of ChatGPT and a lead architect behind GPT-4, as Chief Scientist of its newly established Superintelligence Lab (MSL). CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the appointment in a Threads post, positioning Zhao alongside Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang to define the lab’s scientific direction.

Meta Signals Strategic Shift in AI Leadership

The Superintelligence Lab was launched in mid-2025 as a dedicated unit for Meta’s most ambitious AI efforts, operating separately from the existing FAIR (Fundamental AI Research) division. While FAIR continues under the leadership of AI veteran Yann LeCun, it now reports to Wang, reflecting Meta’s move to consolidate its AI hierarchy under a unified strategy.

Zhao, who helped launch MSL and has been shaping its research agenda for months, brings direct experience from OpenAI, where he contributed to the development of GPT-4 and other high-efficiency transformer models. His appointment represents a tactical escalation in Meta’s AI race with rivals like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic.

Investment, Talent, and Infrastructure

The announcement follows Meta’s $14.3 billion investment to acquire a 49% stake in Scale AI and the high-profile hiring of Scale founder Alexandr Wang as Chief AI Officer. Zhao’s addition deepens the company’s push to assemble elite AI talent under the MSL umbrella.

The lab is expected to leverage Prometheus, Meta’s 1-gigawatt AI cloud training cluster slated to go live in 2026, giving it the compute backbone to train frontier models at scale. Internally, MSL has been tasked with producing general-purpose systems capable of competing directly with leading models from rival labs.

Despite the momentum, not all internal voices are aligned. LeCun, a pioneer in deep learning, has downplayed talk of superintelligence and criticized the current hype cycle, creating philosophical tensions between FAIR’s foundational research and MSL’s aggressive scaling mandate.

Market Reaction and Execution Risk

Meta shares (NASDAQ: META) have been trading near all-time highs, but investor sentiment remains closely tied to the company’s execution on AI. Delays in rolling out its large Behemoth model and questions around lab coordination have tempered early enthusiasm around MSL’s formation.

Analysts warn that the dual-lab structure—with FAIR focusing on long-term research and MSL aiming for short-term breakthroughs—could lead to strategic friction or duplication. The challenge for Zuckerberg and Wang is to turn Meta’s AI vision into tangible product and platform enhancements without diluting focus.

Still, the appointment of Zhao gives Meta a credible scientific anchor in a space where reputational signaling matters as much as progress. Whether MSL delivers on its promise will depend on its ability to integrate talent, coordinate across teams, and produce meaningful research outputs over the next 12 to 18 months.

Tips for Traders

• Track Meta (NASDAQ: META) for stock movements tied to MSL milestones, hiring updates, or research releases.

• Watch AI infrastructure suppliers such as Nvidia and AMD for potential tailwinds from Meta’s compute expansion.

• Monitor statements from FAIR and MSL leaders—any divergence could hint at internal tension or reshuffling.

• Be cautious of overbought sentiment: Meta’s rapid AI expansion adds cost pressure and execution complexity.

• Evaluate AI ecosystem plays in light of Meta’s positioning—MSL success could shift capital flows across the sector.