Zuckerberg fully participates in ‘superintelligence’ lab

(MENAFN)
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is establishing a confidential “superintelligence” lab as part of a strategic effort to lead the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI), Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

Sources familiar with the initiative say Zuckerberg is personally recruiting a team of about 50 trusted AI engineers and researchers, including a new head of AI. Workspaces at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters have reportedly been reorganized to keep the new team close to Zuckerberg, who is said to be taking a highly hands-on approach.

The lab’s mission is to propel Meta ahead of rivals like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic in building AGI—machines capable of matching human intelligence across various tasks.

The push comes after internal disappointment with Meta’s Llama 4 language model, which reportedly underperformed expectations. Zuckerberg has reportedly set a deadline for the release of a superior AI product by the end of the year, driving teams to work extended hours. Meta also paused plans to unveil its most advanced model yet, known as “Behemoth,” after determining it offered little improvement over earlier versions.

Zuckerberg’s increased involvement is described by insiders as a return to “founder mode,” with him even forming a WhatsApp group called “Recruiting Party” to streamline hiring efforts.

The new lab aligns with Meta’s planned multi-billion-dollar investment in Scale AI, a company that provides data infrastructure for training AI systems. If completed, it would be Meta’s biggest outside investment, and Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang is expected to join the project.

Zuckerberg has reportedly emphasized Meta’s robust advertising revenue as a funding advantage, allowing it to support AI initiatives without external financing. He’s also planning a large-scale data center to handle future AI workloads.

Earlier this year, he cautioned employees about potential performance-based layoffs in 2025, signaling that AI is now central to Meta’s post-downsizing strategy.

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