Meta’s AI Bet Grows as Zuckerberg Talks ‘Superintelligence’

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company is now on track to develop «superintelligence,» as it ramps up investments in AI talent and infrastructure.

«Over the last few months we have begun to see glimpses of our AI systems improving themselves… Developing superintelligence is now in sight,» Zuckerberg wrote in a memo ahead of Meta’s Q2 earnings.

Unlike competitors, Meta is focused on building «personal superintelligence for everyone», rather than just automating labour. He warned the technology will pose «novel safety concerns» and said the company must be «rigorous about mitigating these risks.»

Despite massive expenses, Meta continues to outperform expectations. The company reported $47.52bn in revenue and $7.14 in earnings per share, beating Wall Street forecasts. Capital expenditures hit $17.01bn, with full-year spending projected at up to $118bn.

«The largest single driver of growth will be infrastructure costs… The second is employee compensation,» Meta said in a statement.

To strengthen its AI team, Meta acquired a 49% stake in Scale AI for $14.3bn and brought in CEO Alexandr Wang as Chief AI Officer. The company has also lured engineers from rivals like Apple and GitHub with offers reportedly over $200mln.

«To win the superintelligence race requires the best of the best talent, and Meta has been on a roll,» said Mike Proulx, research director at Forrester.

While AI-powered hardware remains a small part of the business, Zuckerberg remains optimistic:

«If you don’t have glasses that have AI, you will be at a cognitive disadvantage.»

Advertising remains the core revenue stream, generating $46.6bn in Q2. However, CFO Susan Li noted that WhatsApp ads will have limited impact in the near term due to «lower monetizing markets and limited targeting data.»

«The rest of this decade seems likely to be the decisive period… whether superintelligence will be a tool for personal empowerment or a force focused on replacing large swaths of society,» Zuckerberg concluded.

Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has reviewed the next phase of development at Zaamin Technopark in Jizzakh region.