Meta’s head of AI research to leave, roiling investment push

Meta Platforms Inc.’s head of artificial intelligence research plans to leave the company, creating a high-level vacancy just as Meta seeks to invest and compete aggressively in AI.

Joelle Pineau, the vice president leading Meta’s Fundamental AI Research group, known as FAIR, announced her departure on Tuesday. Pineau has been at the company for eight years, has led the FAIR team since early 2023 and reports to Chief Product Officer Chris Cox.

Her group oversees Meta’s AI research efforts, focused on everything from voice translation and image-recognition technology to the company’s open-source large language model, called Llama. The unit also explores development of what Meta calls “advanced machine intelligence,” or human-level intelligence for machines.


Pineau, who’s also a computer science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said she will remain at the company until May and then take some time to “observe and reflect.”

“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,” she wrote in a note to colleagues. Pineau also posted her announcement on social media.

Pineau’s departure risks complicating Meta’s effort to compete with rivals like OpenAI, Anthropic and Elon Musk’s xAI on AI products and talent. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has made AI Meta’s top priority, and said in January that the company would spend as much as $65 billion on related projects this year.

The company’s push includes an effort to make Llama the industry standard worldwide. Zuckerberg has said he believes Meta’s AI chatbot, already available on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, could be used by 1 billion people this year.

Meta doesn’t yet have a replacement for Pineau, but is conducting a search for her successor, a spokesperson said. Last year, the company reorganized its AI teams to put Pineau and FAIR closer to the product division, a decision intended to speed up the process of getting the group’s research into Meta’s various products.

Meta remains committed to AI research and its plans haven’t changed as part of Pineau’s departure, the spokesperson added.