Meta Hires OpenAI Scientist to Head AI Lab
â–Ľ Summary
– Mark Zuckerberg has hired OpenAI researcher Yang Song to serve as research principal for Meta Superintelligence Labs, reporting to OpenAI alum Shengjia Zhao.
– This is part of a broader hiring effort where Meta recruited at least 11 top researchers from companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic earlier this summer.
– Yang Song previously led a team at OpenAI and contributed research that informed the development of the DALL-E 2 image generation model.
– There has been some leadership ambiguity and personnel turnover within Meta’s AI labs, including researchers leaving to return to OpenAI.
– Meta’s AI division has a complex structure, with Yann LeCun confirming he remains chief AI scientist for the FAIR lab separate from the new Superintelligence Labs.
Meta has significantly strengthened its artificial intelligence research division by recruiting Yang Song, a prominent scientist from OpenAI, to lead its Superintelligence Labs. The appointment, which took effect earlier this month, sees Song reporting to Shengjia Zhao, another high-profile hire from OpenAI who has been directing the ambitious AI initiative since July. This strategic hire is part of a broader and aggressive recruitment campaign launched by Mark Zuckerberg over the summer, which has successfully attracted over a dozen top-tier researchers from leading AI firms, including Google and Anthropic.
During his tenure at OpenAI, which began in 2022, Song specialized in enhancing AI models’ capabilities to handle vast and intricate datasets spanning various modalities. His contributions to the field are notable; even as a Stanford graduate student, he developed an innovative technique that played a pivotal role in the creation of OpenAI’s groundbreaking DALL-E 2 image generator. Both Song and Zhao share a strong academic background, having completed their undergraduate studies at Beijing’s Tsinghua University and later pursuing PhDs at Stanford under the guidance of the same advisor, Professor Stefano Ermon.
Zuckerberg has publicly emphasized the caliber of talent joining Meta’s AI efforts. In a company-wide memo this summer, he highlighted Zhao’s resume, specifically noting his involvement as a cocreator of ChatGPT, GPT-4, and other key models at OpenAI. However, the memo did not initially define Zhao’s official position. This was clarified in a July Threads post by Zuckerberg, who stated that Zhao, after cofounding the lab and serving as lead scientist, would formally assume the role of chief scientist. This promotion reportedly followed a period of uncertainty during which Zhao had considered returning to OpenAI and had even signed employment documents with his former employer.
The establishment of Meta Superintelligence Labs has not been without its challenges. Since the project’s announcement in June, a handful of researchers have departed. At least two staff members have returned to OpenAI, with one individual completing the onboarding process at Meta but never actually starting work. In a separate development, Aurko Roy, another AI researcher, left Meta in July after just five months; his personal website now lists him as working with Microsoft AI. Requests for comment from Song, OpenAI, and Meta regarding these moves were not immediately returned.
Song’s arrival adds to a complex and talent-rich environment within Meta’s AI organization. When Zhao was initially hired, it sparked speculation about the role of Yann LeCun, Meta’s long-serving chief AI scientist. LeCun promptly addressed these rumors on LinkedIn, confirming that he continues to lead Facebook AI Research (FAIR), the company’s foundational AI lab, indicating a structure where multiple high-level AI initiatives operate in parallel.
(Source: Wired)
