In a significant leadership move, Meta has announced the appointment of former Google DeepMind director Robert Fergus as the new head of its artificial intelligence research lab. Fergus, who played a foundational role in Meta’s AI journey, will now lead the company’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) division, which focuses on long-term, cutting-edge AI innovation.

As per The Times of India report, Fergus co-founded the FAIR lab alongside noted AI pioneer Yann LeCun in 2014. The lab has since played a central role in Meta’s AI development efforts—from foundational research to creating sophisticated models used in robotics, audio generation, and deep learning applications. Fergus returns to Meta after a five-year stint as a research director at Google DeepMind, one of the world’s most prominent AI institutions. Prior to his tenure at DeepMind, Fergus was already part of Meta, contributing as a research scientist.

In an internal memo, Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox informed employees that Fergus had officially taken charge at FAIR, replacing Joelle Pineau, who had announced her departure last month. Fergus also confirmed the transition in a post on LinkedIn, stating, “We’re working towards building human-level experiences that transform the way we interact with technology and are dedicated to leading and advancing AI research.”