Meta taps former Google DeepMind director to lead its AI research lab

Meta has chosen Robert Fergus to lead its Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) lab, according to Bloomberg.

Fergus had been working at Google DeepMind as a research director for nearly five years, per his LinkedIn. Prior to Google, he worked as a researcher scientist at Meta.

Meta’s FAIR, which has been around since 2013, has faced challenges in recent years, according to a report from Fortune. FAIR led research on the company’s early AI models, including Llama 1 and Llama 2. However, researchers have reportedly departed the unit en masse for other startups, companies, and even Meta’s newer GenAI group, which led the development of Llama 4.

Meta’s previous VP of AI Research, Joelle Pineau, announced in April she’d be leaving the company for a new opportunity.