Meta’s Head of AI Research Stepping Down

The head of Meta’s artificial intelligence (AI) research division has announced plans to step down, vacating a high-profile role amid intense competition in the AI industry, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Pineau has been the public face of Meta’s “open-source” AI approach, which promotes transparency by publicly releasing core components of its AI systems. I Photo: Governor General’s Innovation Awards / Governor General of Canada

Joelle Pineau, Meta’s vice president for AI research, said that she will leave her position at the end of May, concluding eight years with the company.

“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 wrote in a social media post. She did not announce a replacement.

Based in Montreal, where she is also a computer science professor at McGill University, Pineau has been the public face of Meta’s “open-source” AI approach, which promotes transparency by publicly releasing core components of its AI systems.

Her team developed Llama, Meta’s flagship large language model, which allows developers to use and modify its core components. Her departure comes just ahead of Meta’s debut LlamaCon AI conference, scheduled for April 29.