Uber creates chief scientist post to plot its AI future

Uber just notified workers it is naming Zoubin Ghahramani as chief scientist, a new role overseeing the company's artificial intelligence and machine learning efforts.

His appointment follows last week's departure of AI labs head Gary Marcus, a move first reported by Axios. Ghahramani, like Marcus, joined Uber as part of December acquisition of machine learning company Geometric Intelligence.

Until now, Ghahramani had been based in Cambridge but will move to Uber's San Francisco HQ to take up the new post.

Why it matters: Uber needs to retain key talent, especially in its most future-leaning endeavors like driverless cars and machine learning, both areas that have seen recent defections.