Former Google DeepMind director joins Meta's AI research lab

Meta has reportedly appointed Robert Fergus, a former Google DeepMind director, to lead its Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) lab.

This leadership change follows the departure of Meta's previous VP of AI Research, Joelle Pineau, who left in April for a new opportunity.

According to Bloomberg, Fergus has returned to Meta after nearly five years at Google DeepMind, where he served as a research director.

Previously, he also worked as a research scientist at Meta, giving him a deep understanding of the company's AI history.

It should be noted that Fergus's appointment comes at a crucial time for Meta's AI research efforts.

Established in 2013, the FAIR lab has played a key role in developing Meta's early AI models, including Llama 1 and Llama 2.

That said, the lab has faced challenges, including significant departures of researchers to other companies or Meta's GenAI group, which developed Llama 4.

Fergus's appointment aims to inject new leadership and potentially revitalise FAIR's position within Meta's AI strategy.

Moreover, with his extensive experience from Google DeepMind, Fergus might signal Meta's intent to focus on fundamental AI research, driving breakthroughs beyond the current Llama series.