Meta’s AI push gains traction as Zuckerberg envisions “superintelligence for everyone”

CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined his vision “to bring personal superintelligence to everyone” ahead of Meta’s quarterly earnings report on Wednesday.

Zuckerberg wrote in a post that over the past few months, Meta has begun to see glimpses of AI systems improving themselves in a slow yet “undeniable” improvement, which could mean that “developing superintelligence is now in sight.”

Although not specifying what would differentiate superintelligence from existing artificial intelligence, Zuckerberg said that AI will improve all our existing systems and enable the discovery of currently unimaginable things, calling it “a new era for humanity.”

“In some ways this will be a new era for humanity, but in others it's just a continuation of historical trends. As recently as 200 years ago, 90% of people were farmers growing food to survive. Advances in technology have steadily freed much of humanity to focus less on subsistence and more on the pursuits we choose,” he wrote.

“At each step, people have used our newfound productivity to achieve more than was previously possible, pushing the frontiers of science and health, as well as spending more time on creativity, culture, relationships, and enjoying life.”

Meta’s CEO added that he is extremely optimistic about the potential of superintelligence to accelerate humanity’s pace of progress, which could help people live their dreams and achieve their most ambitious goals.

“The rest of this decade seems likely to be the decisive period for determining the path this technology will take, and whether superintelligence will be a tool for personal empowerment or a force focused on replacing large swaths of society,” he added, noting that along with superintelligence benefits will come new safety concerns, forcing people to be more careful about what they choose to open source.

“Meta's vision is to bring personal superintelligence to everyone. We believe in putting this power in people's hands to direct it towards what they value in their own lives,” Zuckerberg said.

Meta beat investor expectations again on Wednesday, and forecast stronger-than-expected revenues for the next quarter, sending stocks soaring 10%. The company reported $7.14 in earnings per share on $47.52bn in revenue, ahead of the projected $5.92 in earnings per share on $44.8bn in revenue by Wall Street analysts.

The company is projecting higher year-over-year expense growth in 2026 due to its AI efforts, employee compensation, and higher infrastructure costs. This comes as Zuckerberg announced a variety of data centre projects, including new nuclear and renewable energy deals, to support Meta’s AI drive.