Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled a major new artificial intelligence initiative, launching a division called Meta Superintelligence Labs as part of the company’s efforts to lead in the next wave of AI development. The announcement, made through an internal memo, comes as Meta faces growing pressure from competitors and a tepid response to its Llama 4 language models. The new division will focus on building advanced AI systems that can match or surpass human capabilities.
The unit will be led by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, just weeks after Meta invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI, signaling a deepening commitment to boosting its AI infrastructure and capabilities. Nat Friedman, former CEO of GitHub, will co-lead the division and focus on product development and applied research, while Daniel Gross, co-founder and CEO of AI startup SSI, will also take a key role in the team.
Zuckerberg made the company’s ambitions clear in his internal message, stating: “As the pace of AI progress accelerates, developing superintelligence is coming into sight.” He added, “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.”
According to Reuters, Meta has hired at least 11 new AI researchers, many of whom come from top competitors including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. A Bloomberg report citing the internal memo emphasized that Meta’s goal is to build “superintelligence” systems capable of performing at or beyond human levels across various tasks.
The battle for AI talent is intensifying. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently claimed that Meta has been offering some of his employees signing bonuses as high as $100 million to lure them into its AI efforts. While Meta is actively hiring from OpenAI and Google, a Wired report noted that Anthropic is seen as less culturally aligned with Meta, which may be limiting recruitment from that firm.
With the formation of Meta Superintelligence Labs, the company is doubling down on its AI ambitions, aiming to shape the future of superintelligent systems and position itself as a global leader in the AI race.
