Meta’s AI Research Head Joelle Pineau to Step Down in May

Photo : AFP

Joelle Pineau, the head of Meta’s team for artificial intelligence, has decided to leave her job. She announced on Tuesday that she will step down at the end of May after working for Meta for eight years. Her decision comes at a time when many big companies are racing to make better artificial intelligence technology.

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Pineau shared a message on social media, explaining why she is leaving. She said the world is changing fast, and artificial intelligence is growing quickly. She believes it is now the right time for new people to take over and continue the work. “As the world is moving forward, as AI is developing faster, and as Meta is starting a new journey, it is time to give space for others,” she wrote.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has not yet given any comment about her leaving. Pineau also did not say who will replace her after she steps down.

She is based in Montreal and also works as a computer science professor at McGill University. Pineau has played an important role in Meta’s AI research and has helped develop its open-source AI projects. One of the company’s most well-known projects is Llama, a language model that Meta has shared with the public so others can use or improve it.

Her announcement comes shortly before Meta is set to hold a new AI event called LlamaCon on April 29. This conference will focus on artificial intelligence and Meta’s future plans in this field.

Pineau took charge of Meta’s AI research team in 2023. This team was originally known as Facebook AI Research and was started nearly ten years ago by experts in artificial intelligence, including Yann LeCun. LeCun led the team until 2018 before stepping down, but he still works at Meta as the chief AI scientist.

With Pineau leaving, Meta’s AI research team is facing a big change. The company is competing with other tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, all trying to lead in artificial intelligence. Pineau has helped Meta grow in AI research, and her exit raises questions about what the company’s next steps will be.