Meta Launches Superintelligence Labs to Accelerate AI Ambitions
- tech360.tv
- Jul 1, 2025
- 2 min read
Meta has launched a new division called Meta Superintelligence Labs, intensifying its push toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), according to a source.
The lab will be led by Alexandr Wang, former CEO of data labelling startup Scale AI, who will serve as Meta’s chief AI officer.
The move comes after setbacks including senior staff departures and a lukewarm reception for Meta’s latest open-source Llama 4 model, which has allowed competitors like Google, OpenAI and China’s DeepSeek to gain ground.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg aims for the new lab to fast-track AGI development—machines capable of surpassing human intelligence—and generate new revenue streams from the Meta AI app, image-to-video advertising tools and smart glasses.
Zuckerberg has personally led a month-long recruitment drive, offering million-dollar pay packages and directly contacting prospects via WhatsApp.
Earlier in June, Meta invested USD 14.3 billion in Scale AI.
The new division will also include Daniel Gross, co-founder and CEO of Safe Superintelligence (SSI), and will be co-led by former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, who will oversee AI products and applied research.
Meta has added 11 new AI hires, including researchers from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.
New team members include former DeepMind researchers Jack Rae and Pei Sun, OpenAI alumni Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi, Shengjia Zhao and Hongyu Ren, and Anthropic’s Joel Pobar, who previously worked at Meta for over a decade.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently claimed Meta offered his employees bonuses of USD 100 million to lure them away.
Despite the aggressive expansion, some analysts remain sceptical, citing Meta’s Reality Labs unit, which has spent over USD 60 billion since 2020 with limited commercial success.
Big tech firms are projected to spend USD 320 billion on AI in 2025.
Microsoft has already spent USD 650 million last year to acquire most of Inflection AI’s staff, including co-founder Mustafa Suleyman, while Amazon has recruited key personnel from Adept.
However, the timeline for achieving AGI remains uncertain. Meta’s chief AI scientist Yann LeCun has said current methods are insufficient, while SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son predicts a breakthrough within a decade.
Meta forms new AI division, Superintelligence Labs, led by Alexandr Wang
Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross join leadership team
Meta invests USD 14.3 billion in Scale AI
Source: REUTERS
