Zuckerberg says superintelligence is “now in sight” as Meta poaches top AI talent

Mark Zuckerberg announced that developing superintelligence is “now in sight” and outlined Meta’s vision for “personal superintelligence” that empowers individuals rather than automating jobs. The statement comes after Meta’s aggressive recruitment spree that has poached top AI researchers from OpenAI, Google, and Apple with multi-hundred million-dollar pay packages, positioning the company to compete directly with OpenAI’s vision of AI replacing human work.

What you should know: Zuckerberg’s vision directly challenges OpenAI’s approach to artificial general intelligence, which focuses on “highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work.”

• Meta believes superintelligence should be “a tool for personal empowerment” rather than “a force focused on replacing large swaths of society.”
• Zuckerberg wrote that Meta has “begun to see glimpses of our AI systems improving themselves” with “slow for now, but undeniable” progress.
• The company plans to integrate personal superintelligence across its product ecosystem, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, and AR/VR devices.

The big picture: Meta is positioning itself as the champion of democratized AI that enhances human potential rather than replacing human workers entirely.

• Zuckerberg argues that “people pursuing their individual aspirations is how we have always made progress expanding prosperity, science, health, and culture.”
• He envisions personal devices like AR glasses becoming primary computing platforms that “understand our context because they can see what we see, hear what we hear, and interact with us throughout the day.”
• The company believes “the rest of this decade seems likely to be the decisive period for determining the path this technology will take.”

What they’re saying: Zuckerberg emphasized the personal nature of Meta’s superintelligence approach in his announcement.

• “At Meta, we believe in putting the power of superintelligence in people’s hands to direct it towards what they value in their own lives,” he stated.
• “Some of this will be about improving productivity, but a lot of it may be more personal in nature.”
• He described the potential for “everyone having a personal superintelligence that helps you achieve your goals, create what you want to see in the world, experience any adventure, be a better friend to those you care about, and grow to become the person you aspire to be.”

Competitive landscape: Despite Zuckerberg’s pointed criticism of OpenAI’s approach, the visions may be more aligned than they appear.

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously wrote that “we’ll soon be able to work with AI that helps us accomplish much more than we ever could without AI; eventually we can each have a personal AI team, full of virtual experts in different areas.”
• Altman recently described building “a brain for the world” that “will be extremely personalized and easy for everyone to use.”
• Both companies are ultimately pursuing superintelligence that enhances human capabilities, though they differ on whether AI should primarily automate work or amplify personal potential.

Why this matters: Meta’s recruitment strategy and philosophical positioning signals an intensifying battle for AI talent and market direction as the industry approaches potential superintelligence breakthroughs.

• The company’s ability to offer billion-dollar compensation packages demonstrates the premium placed on top AI researchers in the current market.
• Meta’s emphasis on personal empowerment through AI could differentiate its products in a market where concerns about job displacement are growing.
• The timeline Zuckerberg suggests—with this decade being “decisive”—indicates the competitive window for establishing superintelligence leadership may be narrowing rapidly.