Meta Invests $14 Billion in Scale AI to 'Deepen' its Work on Superintelligence
American multinational tech company Meta has made a significant investment in Scale AI, the data-labeling startup essential for training artificial intelligence systems, recruiting its young founder Alexandr Wang to build out a “superintelligence” lab focused on achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). The $14.3 billion investment acquired a 49% stake in Scale AI, raising its valuation to over $29 billion. This is Meta's second-largest investment, following its $19 billion WhatsApp acquisition in 2014.
Scale AI Announces Next Phase of Company Evolution
Scale AI announced that Wang would continue to serve as a director on the company's Board of Directors, with the firm's Chief Strategy Officer, Jason Droege, stepping into his shoes as interim CEO.
Decentralized Platforms vs. Big Tech
Yet the move also highlights a key tension between large tech firms such as Meta and others building on decentralized platforms, according to Renz Chong, CEO of a16z-backed modular on-chain platform Sovrun.
AI-On-Chain Projects and Decentralization
Because most other AI-on-chain projects still lean on "centralized inference endpoints or off-chain APIs," the predicament places pressure on decentralized players.
Alternative Visions from the Decentralized Sector
Still, the consolidation of AI resources between tech giants has prompted alternative visions from the decentralized sector. Sovrun, for instance, recently entered a joint venture with Virtuals Protocol to build ReadyGamer, a platform that integrates AI-driven NPCs into popular game worlds.
