John Langford, a major force behind Microsoft's AI research, has left the company following a big restructuring.
His team was merged into the main Microsoft AI group, which shifted its focus away from experimental projects and toward scaling up existing models.
Langford shared on his blog that this new direction limited their ability to push boundaries in AI.
Microsoft advances superintelligence lab plans
Langford, known for creating Vowpal Wabbit and coining the term "contextual bandits," pointed out that leadership now sees AI differently than he does, with less attention on bold research.
Even so, Microsoft AI is moving ahead with plans like launching a superintelligence lab and rolling out new models.