Harry Shum to lead Microsoft’s new AI and Research Group

Microsoft has announced that it has formed the Microsoft AI and Research Group, bringing together Microsoft’s world-class research organizations in order to focus on the company’s AI product efforts. The new group is led by computer vision luminary Harry Shum and, in part, marks the company’s dedication to democratize AI and make it accessible and valuable to everyone.

In addition to the leadership of Harry Shum, several other members of Microsoft’s engineering teams will be joining the new group. These teams and members include the Information Platform, Cortana and Bing, and Ambient Computing and Robotics teams led by David Ku, Derrick Connell and Vijay Mital. Ultimately, though, the groups will all combine to encompass AI product engineering, basic and applied research labs, and New Experiences and Technologies. Harry Shum put the situation best and said:

Microsoft has been working in artificial intelligence since the beginning of Microsoft Research, and yet we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible… Today’s move signifies Microsoft’s commitment to deploying intelligent technology and democratizing AI in a way that changes our lives and the world around us for the better. We will significantly expand our efforts to empower people and organizations to achieve more with our tools, our software and services, and our powerful, global-scale cloud computing capabilities.

The initiative from the Microsoft AI and Research Group will involve four key areas, including agents, applications, services, and infrastructure.  For the complete details on Microsoft’s plans, head over to this webpage. Once you’re checked it out, be sure to come back to WinBeta and let us know what you think by dropping us a comment in the section below.