Facebook announced Tuesday that it has opened a new research center in Paris that will focus on projects involving artificial intelligence.
Yann LeCun, French researcher for the New York University and head of AI research at Facebook, said the center will be devoted to developing technology related to image and video recognition, which he refers to as the "next frontier" in the social networking giant's plans, according to The Wall Street Journal. Other potential areas to explore at the center include facial recognition, being able to predict trending topics, and understanding how babies learn how to speak.
The Paris AI lab will be made up of six researchers with expertise in image processing, text analysis, speech recognition and real-time strategy games.
The new Facebook AI Research (FAIR) team will also work with existing teams in New York and California, TechCrunch reported.
France is one of the leading countries in mathematics, physics and robotics research, which is one of the main reasons for the creation of the new FAIR team.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a post that the Paris-based lab will share its work through publications and open-source outlets, NBC News reported. He added that the team will invest in "top scientific institutions" and that the company will work with the French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation (INRIA) on projects.
"France already has one of the strongest AI research communities in the world, so we think this is the ideal home for our new team," Zuckerberg wrote. "I'm excited for us to be taking another step toward the future of computing and connecting the world."
Facebook's Paris-based AI lab will double in staff by the end of the year, and each FAIR team will eventually consist of 40 to 50 people.
