Meta is launching a new AI research lab focused on “superintelligence.” The move targets the AI race and aims to outpace rivals like OpenAI and Google.
The New York Times reports Meta has brought on Alexandr Wang, Scale AI founder and CEO, to lead the effort. Meta is in talks to invest billions in Scale AI, potentially absorbing its staff. The company has also been poaching key AI researchers from top competitors.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is personally recruiting the lab’s team, Bloomberg says. He’s met with AI engineers and researchers at his Palo Alto and Lake Tahoe homes. The plan is to build a roughly 50-person team, including a new AI research head. 
Zuckerberg reportedly believes Meta can beat others to AGI—artificial general intelligence that surpasses human-level performance on various tasks.
Meta AI hit 1 billion monthly active users last month, showing it still commands huge scale despite AI struggles.
This lab signals Meta’s serious bet on AI. Zuckerberg’s push follows internal frustration over the company’s lagging AI progress.
Links:
New York Times
Bloomberg
