In a big push that underscores the fierce competition for the best AI talent, Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta has roped in, Daniel Gross, a highly regarded figure in Silicon Valley, to Meta's newly formed Superintelligence Lab. Previously, Gross was the CEO and co-founder of Safe Superintelligence Inc. (SSI), a stealth-mode startup developing safe and aligned artificial intelligence systems.
Gross's new role at Meta was confirmed within hours of Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder of SSI and OpenAI's former chief scientist, revealing that Gross had resigned as its founder-CEO. The news was announced on social media on Friday by Sutskever, the new CEO of SSI. In Gross's departing message, he stopped short of mentioning Meta by name but still expressed optimism, writing, "The company's future is very bright, and I anticipate miracles to come.
This is considered to be a part of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's overall recalibration in putting together a world-class AI team. Zuckerberg has been personally involved in recruiting top AI researchers and developers, say industry sources—meeting with prospective hires in private at his Palo Alto and Lake Tahoe homes.
At Meta, Gross is likely to focus on cutting-edge AI technology at the company's Superintelligence Lab—an area focused on pushing the limits of AGI (artificial general intelligence)—AI that can think and reason just like a human or even better. His experience building AI products and leading teams in the trenches at the cutting edge of the field is a great addition to Meta's growing roster of AI experts.
The move comes at a time of heightened attention to Meta and its hiring practices. A new report earlier this week indicated that none of Meta's 11 most recent AI hires graduated from an American institution, which inspired both cheers and jeers across the tech sphere.
Gross's signing is the latest in a series of high-profile talents headed to Meta's AI operations as it races to keep pace with rivals such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. His know-how could help Meta not only to create more intelligent systems but also to ensure they stay safe and aligned with human values—the sort of thing SSI was known to specialize in.
