In order to survive in the technology world, companies need to be nimble and move quickly to adapt to the latest advances. People have been hearing about Artificial Intelligence and how it is going to change everything for more than a decade. Today, though, people are beginning to see how AI will influence their lives going forward.
The rapid advancement of AI technology has created something of an arms race among the world’s biggest companies. This week, Mark Zuckerberg established his position in the race by announcing that he is creating Meta Superhuman Intelligence Labs.
Meta Felt the Need to Keep Up With Competitors
When he created Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg made himself one of the most prominent technological minds in the country. And as other companies have introduced more advanced products, Facebook has done the same. It is important for the company and for Zuckerberg to try and stay ahead of the curve.
Meta was seemingly inspired to push forward with superhuman AI as companies like Google and Open AI. According to reports, the company is offering large scale salaries to some of the most important figures in the AI world and building out a new type of dream team.
The Goal is to be the Leader in Superintelligence
Google, Open AI and Meta all have the same goal; to become the industry leader in superintelligence. The idea of superintelligence, an artificial intelligence system that is more advanced that what even the brightest human mind could come up with, is still hypothetical.
But with rapid advancements in technology, the possibility of created superintelligence feels closer than ever before. So what we have now is similar to the Space Race of the 1950s and 1960s when countries jockeyed to become the first to send astronauts to space and put a man on the moon.
Zuckerberg Moved to Hire Some of the Top Talent in the Industry
The Meta CEO knows that if he truly wants to win the race to create superintelligence, then he will have to compile a team made up of the best in the industry. The company has gone on a hiring spree, poaching developers and engineers from companies like Anthropic and Google.
In order to lure this new talent, Meta is offering multi-million dollar packages, with stock options for some of the highest-profile candidates. According to sources, Zuckerberg has gotten involved in the recruiting himself, hosting some candidates at his own home.
Nat Friedman Was a Major Hire for Meta
One of the important figures that Meta landed during their hiring blitz was Nat Friedman. Friedman came into prominence as the CEO of GitHub, a platform that allowed developers to create and store their own code.
Fried, who also served as the Chief Technology Officer for Open Source. Zuckerberg noted that Friedman has a history of running a leading AI investment firm and that he has already been working with Meta as an advisor.
Alexandr Wang is Also a Key New Hire For Meta
Alexandr Wang brings an impressive background to Meta. His parents were both physicists at Los Alamos and Wang, himself, became the youngest self-made billionaire in the world at the age of 24. He did so by creating Scale AI and running the company as its CEO.
Zuckerberg has gushed about his hire of Wang, calling him the best founder of his generation and noting that the two of them have worked together for multiple years. The Meta CEO also noted that Wang is as passionate about the possibility of superintelligence as he is.
In Addition to Hiring Wang, Meta Also Purchased a Large Share of Scale AI
As part of its deal to bring Wang into the fold, Meta also purchased a 49% stake in Scale AI for $14.3 billion. Founded by Wang, Scale AI allowed companies to provide model evaluation services and data labeling for the development of artificial intelligence. The company works with services such as PayPal, Pinterest and Uber.
Meta hopes that bringing in Scale AI will give it a major boost in expertise as it fights the AI battle. Along with bringing on Wang, Meta will be bringing on multiple other staffers from Scale AI.
Some Critics Believe That Meta Can’t Spend Its Way Into Discoveries
Zuckerberg’s hiring spree made waves, but some in the tech community were skeptical that Meta could lead the pack just by spending the most money. One argument was that the high-salaried employees would be less motivated now that they’ve been paid.
Another argument is that rather than spending big to create a dream team, Meta is simply replacing the talent that the company has lost over the last few years. Many of Zuckerberg’s star developers have ventured off to create their own companies.
But Meta is Confident That It Will Become the Industry Leader
Last week, the Wall St. Journal revealed the existence of something called, “The List,” a register of the best and brightest minds when it comes to artificial intelligence. To be a person named on this list is to be a person who will one day become very rich.
There are only a few holders of this list, and they are the titans of the technology world. According to sources, Zuckerberg used this list to conduct his hiring blitz. He believes that he has secured just the people he needs to dominate the market.
Conclusion
The battle to become the first company to master superintelligence will be hard fought and will cost both the winners and losers billions of dollars. The hope behind the technology race is that when it is complete, people who use the services will be way better off for it.
If anything, Zuckerberg has shown that he is in the race to win it. He is willing to invest his expertise, time and money in the endeavor. The competition is stiff, though, and time will tell who the winner will be.