Joelle Pineau, Meta’s Vice President of Artificial Intelligence Research and head of the Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) team, has announced her departure from the company after an eight-year tenure.
Gatekeepers News reports that Pineau, also a computer science professor at McGill University, will remain at Meta until May before stepping down.
In a note to colleagues, Pineau stated, “Today, as the world undergoes significant change, as the race for AI accelerates, and as Meta prepares for its next chapter, it is time to create space for others to pursue the work.”
Pineau expressed her confidence in the team, saying, “I will be cheering from the sidelines, knowing that you have all the ingredients needed to build the best AI systems in the world, and to responsibly bring them into the lives of billions of people.”
Under Pineau’s leadership, the FAIR team has developed and nurtured numerous projects, including PyTorch, FAISS, Roberta, Dino, Llama, SAM, Codegen, and Audiobox. These projects have become integral to Meta’s AI research and product development.
Pineau’s team has also made significant contributions to advancing Meta’s AI research, including voice translation, image recognition, and the development of “advanced machine intelligence.”
Pineau’s exit comes at a critical time as Meta intensifies its investments in AI to compete with rivals.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has prioritised AI, pledging up to $65 billion in related projects this year.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed that a search for Pineau’s successor is underway and assured that her departure does not alter the company’s AI strategy, stating, “Meta remains committed to AI research, and our plans remain unchanged.”
