Andrew Ng Announces Departure from Baidu
Andrew Ng, the renowned AI pioneer and Chief Scientist at Baidu, has announced his departure from the Chinese tech giant. Ng, who previously co-created Google’s groundbreaking Google Brain AI research team, joined Baidu in 2014 to spearhead its artificial intelligence initiatives. His last day is expected in late April.
In a Medium post, Ng expressed confidence in Baidu’s AI future, stating:
“Baidu’s AI is incredibly strong, and the team is stacked with talent. I am confident AI at Baidu will continue to flourish.” — Andrew Ng
Leadership Transition: Haifeng Wang to Lead Consolidated AI Group
Baidu is consolidating its AI research divisions—including Natural Language Processing (NLP), Knowledge Graph (KG), and the Institute of Deep Learning (IDL)—into a unified AI Group (AIG). Haifeng Wang, a respected researcher and technology leader, will helm the expanded team, reporting directly to Baidu COO Qi Lu.
Ng praised Wang’s capabilities, calling him “a fantastic researcher and technology leader” who will drive Baidu’s AI ambitions forward.
Baidu’s AI Leadership Reshuffle
- Yuanqing Lin, former director of Baidu’s Institute of Deep Learning, was recently appointed head of Baidu Research.
- Lin played a key role in AI-driven projects, including enhancing Baidu’s e-commerce app Nuomi.
Ng’s Legacy at Baidu
During his tenure, Ng contributed to several high-profile projects:
- DeepSpeech: The AI-powered speech recognition system behind SwiftScribe, Baidu’s audio transcription app.
- Autonomous Vehicles: Advanced Baidu’s self-driving car initiatives.
- DuerOS: A conversational computing platform.
- DuSee: Baidu’s augmented reality (AR) platform launched in 2016.
What’s Next for Andrew Ng?
Ng, a Stanford AI Lab (SAIL) alum and Coursera co-founder, plans to continue advocating for AI’s societal transformation. His focus remains on leveraging AI to improve lives globally.
Baidu’s AI Future
Baidu continues to expand its AI and search capabilities internationally, with operations in Brazil, Egypt, and Thailand. The company’s recent hiring of Qi Lu (ex-Microsoft) as COO underscores its commitment to innovation amid competitive pressures.
The Bigger Picture: AI’s Leading Figures
Ng is widely regarded as one of the four key figures in deep learning, alongside:
- Yann LeCun (Facebook AI Research)
- Geoff Hinton (Google DeepMind)
- Yoshua Bengio (Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms)
Baidu has yet to announce Ng’s successor as Chief Scientist.
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