Meta to announce $15bn investment in bid to achieve computerised ‘superintelligence’

Meta is reportedly set to announce a $15 billion investment aimed at achieving computerised superintelligence, marking a bold move in the accelerating AI arms race within Silicon Valley. The investment includes acquiring a 49% stake in Scale AI, a startup led by Alexandr Wang and co-founded by Lucy Guo. The move has been described by analysts as the decision of a "wartime CEO," reflecting Meta’s urgency to reclaim its position in the AI sector after significant progress from rivals like OpenAI and Google — and the underwhelming outcome of its Metaverse ambitions.

Superintelligence refers to AI systems capable of outperforming humans at virtually all tasks — a milestone beyond the current state of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which remains elusive. Despite AI's impressive advancements, mainstream systems still falter on complex problems that humans easily solve.

The deal comes shortly after Scale AI signed a major contract with the US Department of Defense to develop ThunderForge, an AI-driven system for military planning and operations. Industry observers note that Meta’s aggressive move signals its strategy to consolidate AI talent and regain momentum in the AI race.

Meanwhile, AI experts like Professor Michael Wooldridge of Oxford University and Dr. Andrew Rogoyski from the Institute for People-Centred AI voiced concerns about private companies monopolizing advanced AI research. Both advocate for a collaborative, government-backed AI research initiative — a “CERN for AI” — to ensure ethical, transparent, and publicly accountable technology development.

While Meta declined to comment, reports suggest that Alexandr Wang will take a senior leadership role within the company, reinforcing Meta’s long-term commitment to AI as a core business enabler, though not its primary objective like OpenAI or Anthropic.

As the AI race intensifies heading into 2025, Meta’s latest move highlights both the promise and controversy surrounding the pursuit of superintelligence.

Source: The guardian

Voice of Osiz

We believe Meta’s $15B push toward superintelligence reflects the growing urgency among tech giants to dominate the next phase of AI evolution. While it signals exciting possibilities, it also highlights the pressing need for ethical, transparent, and collaborative AI development frameworks.