Google’s quest to conquer AI technology has led to a significant change in leadership. The public learned that the director of the AI and search program, John Giannandrea, is leaving his role, which will be split into two parts: Google Brain leader Jeff Dean will lead the exclusive AI wing in addition to Brain, while search head Ben Gomes will lead the search department as vice president. Giannandrea remains in the picture but reportedly wants to be more ‘in touch with technology’ than he was before, according to Engadget.
A spokesperson confirmed the leadership changes to Bloomberg but declined to comment further.
>>>Artificial intelligence opens the door to a new era of mobile technology
It is not too surprising that Google will split the search and AI departments. Although the work of both departments largely overlaps, this change puts all of Google’s AI initiatives into one basket. Likewise, Gomes can now focus more on search instead of ‘juggling’ the needs of AI, which could enhance Google’s efficiency.
TechCrunch notes that Giannandrea had a very pragmatic approach to AI, and his absence could be most felt in that regard. Giannandrea believes that ethics are important for technology development, but he does not subscribe to apocalyptic scenarios that some consider likely if AI goes out of control. It is not expected that Google’s stance on AI will change drastically, but it would not be surprising to see some shift.
