David Luan, recently appointed head of Amazon’s AGI Lab, was the subject of a fascinating interview with The Verge. He shared his new, audacious vision to steer the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence. In an onstage chat with journalist Alex Heath, Luan opened up about his big dreams. He would prefer to be known for all of the work he did in AI research innovation rather than for structuring a deal.
Before joining the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), Luan co-founded Adept, where he was former CEO. Now, he’s in charge of Amazon’s AGI Lab, working to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI). He argues that the new landscape requires something different from companies like Amazon. In other words, they need to build a critical mass of both talent and computing resources all at once. This approach, he argues, is key to making meaningful progress and breakthroughs in the fast-paced world of AI.
During the interview, Luan highlighted his commitment to addressing what he termed “the four crucial remaining research problems left to AGI.” He failed to speak about the particulars around the issues. He emphasized that they are foundational for the future development of AI technology.
As Luan departs Adept for Amazon’s nascent AGI Lab, he will be making a big shift. He now has the exhilarating task of directing a bold new endeavor in one of the planet’s largest technology firms. He articulated that he hopes his legacy will be rooted in significant advancements in AI rather than in financial maneuvers or organizational strategies.
“I want to be remembered more as being an AI research innovator rather than a deal structure innovator.” – David Luan
Luan’s remarks about the reverse acquihire trend demonstrate his view of the shifting reality for tech talent acquisition. He views this trend as a smart play. It really dovetails nicely with the more broad, innovation, research, and development priorities of AI. By assembling teams with both talent and computational resources, companies can better position themselves to tackle the challenges inherent in developing AGI.
