Meta’s VP of AI research, Joelle Pineau, has announced her departure from the company, with her last day set for May 30, 2025. Her exit comes as Meta intensifies its AI investments, aiming to compete with OpenAI and Google.
Pineau, who has led Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) division since 2023, confirmed her departure in a LinkedIn post. FAIR focuses on fundamental AI research, with many of its innovations contributing to Meta’s digital products.
Meta’s AI Strategy and Pineau’s Role
Her departure coincides with a period of significant AI-driven transformation at Meta. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made AI a priority, investing billions to develop advanced AI assistants and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)—systems capable of human-like reasoning. Pineau stated that given the rapid pace of change, she feels it is the right moment to “make space for others.” She remains confident in Meta’s ability to build effective and ethical AI systems.
Pineau joined Meta in 2017 to lead its Montreal AI lab and also serves as a professor at McGill University, reminds NIX Solutions. Her leadership has influenced key AI projects, including the LLaMA open-source language models and PyTorch, a major machine-learning framework.
Upcoming AI Developments at Meta
Pineau’s departure comes just weeks before Meta’s LlamaCon conference on April 29, where the company is expected to unveil LLaMA 4, the foundation for its next-generation AI agents. Additionally, Meta plans to launch a standalone app for its AI chatbot. Given Pineau’s key role in FAIR, her exit marks a notable shift for the company. Yet, we’ll keep you updated as more AI advancements unfold.