OpenAI's Shengjia Zhao named as chief scientist of Meta Superintelligence Labs

OpenAI's Shengjia Zhao named as chief scientist of Meta Superintelligence Labs

26 Jul 2025, 07:36 PM

The Meta Superintelligence Labs was announced in June as a specialized division bringing together leading researchers and engineers in artificial intelligence.

Team Head&Tale

Share the story on

Meta has appointed Shengjia Zhao, one of the original developers behind OpenAI's ChatGPT, as the chief scientist for its newly set up Meta Superintelligence Labs, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced.

This appointment is part of Zuckerberg's aggressive strategy to recruit top AI talent, which has involved substantial financial investments including a $14 billion commitment to Scale AI.

The Meta Superintelligence Labs was announced in June as a specialized division bringing together leading researchers and engineers in artificial intelligence.

While Zhao was mentioned among new recruits in the initial June announcement, Zuckerberg clarified on Friday that Zhao actually helped establish the lab and has been serving as its primary scientist since its inception.

In his new role, Zhao will collaborate directly with Zuckerberg and Alexandr Wang, Scale AI's former chief executive, who now holds the position of Meta's chief AI officer.

Zuckerberg praised Zhao's contributions to the field, highlighting his development of innovative scaling approaches and his emergence as a prominent figure in AI research. Beyond his work on ChatGPT, Zhao contributed to developing OpenAI's GPT-4 model, smaller-scale models, versions 4.1 and o3, and previously oversaw synthetic data initiatives at the company.

"Shengjia has already pioneered several breakthroughs including a new scaling paradigm and distinguished himself as a leader in the field," Zuckerberg wrote in a social media post. “I’m looking forward to working closely with him to advance his scientific vision."

The new lab will focus on advancing foundational AI models, including Meta's open-source Llama series, along with various AI products and core research initiatives. Meta has committed to investing hundreds of billions of dollars in AI computing infrastructure to support these efforts.

Expressing enthusiasm about the company's AI trajectory, Zuckerberg said, "The next few years are going to be very exciting!"

Who Reads Us

“I enjoy reading The Head and Tale for their coverage on the Fintech landscape. The reporting is incisive and honest, and it demonstrates a sharp understanding of the industry and the issues that concern it. I'd like to extend my best wishes to Arti for her continued success.”

Rahul Chari Co-Founder And CTO, PhonePe

“Well-researched, informative and analysis based reporting makes an interesting read. 'The Head and Tale' news portal has been demonstrating this quite well covering fintech and emerging tech sectors. Their timely updates, exclusive stories and different perspectives on these sectors help me stay informed. Kudos to Arti Singh for pursuing her passion and best wishes to the team.”

Rishi Gupta MD & CEO, Fino Payments Bank

“The Head and Tale stands out for its deep industry knowledge and impressive network of sources. I especially appreciate that the reporting remains independent, rarely resorting to paid puff pieces, making it a publication I can genuinely trust. Having followed Arti’s work for years, I’ve come to rely on The Head and Tale for its unparalleled insight and truly independent coverage. Arti’s long-standing presence in the sector means her reporting is always informed, with access few can match.”

Lizzie Chapman Co-founder, ZestMoney

“What I really appreciate about The Head and Tale is that it doesn’t just report the news, it interprets it. The stories are well-researched, comprehensive, and bold. Arti brings a fearless lens to reporting, often asking the uncomfortable but necessary questions. She makes you pause, reflect, and rethink what it all means for the payments and fintech ecosystem. It’s rare to find journalism that’s this sharp, timely, and relevant to the work we do every day.”

Mohit Bedi Co-founder, Kiwi

“I’ve always valued journalism that goes beyond surface-level headlines. The Head and Tale does exactly that - it connects the dots, asks the tough questions, and brings clarity to the shifts shaping our evolving industry. I’ve even encouraged my team members to subscribe, because staying informed through credible, deeply reported stories is as important as building products. For me, The Head and Tale has become part of essential reading.”