James Manyika appointed to Google board of directo...

James Manyika appointed to Google board of directors

Zim Now Writer

Airbnb on Monday announced the appointment of Google’s Senior Vice President of Research, Technology and Society, James Manyika, to the board of directors as Google’s Artificial Intelligence ambassador.

Manyika’s addition underscores CEO Brian Chesky’s ambitions in artificial intelligence, which Chesky said will change the Airbnb platform by 2024.

“We are happy to announce that James Manyika is joining Airbnb’s Board of Directors. His appointment to the Board is effective immediately and he will chair the board’s Stakeholder Committee.

“I’m thrilled that James Manyika is joining our Board. He’s dedicated his career to exploring technology’s impact on society, and is one of the world’s leading experts in AI.

“He started advising Airbnb in 2018 and has been an essential thought partner to me for years. It’s inevitable that AI will reshape society and have a profound impact on our business. With James joining our Board, we’ll continue to benefit from his guidance as we embark on the dawn of this new technological revolution,” Chesky said.

Manyika reports to CEO Sundar Pichai and focuses on how tech affects users’ daily lives. Increasingly, that encompasses the company’s AI research and products.

Manyika is also a vice chair of the National AI Advisory Committee, the federal panel that develops strategies for AI regulation, and senior partner emeritus at McKinsey & Company.

Manyika said he is thrilled to be working with the Airbnb team.

“At such a critical point of inflection for technology and society, I’m inspired by the ways Airbnb has bridged people and cultures all around the world. I’m honoured to join the Board of Directors and look forward to working together with the entire Airbnb team to build for the future in a way that benefits hosts, guests and communities everywhere,” he said.

Currently, Google’s Senior Vice President of Research, Technology and Society, James is a graduate of both the University of Zimbabwe and the University of Oxford, from which he holds two master’s degrees and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.

Before joining Google, James spent nearly three decades at McKinsey where he led the renowned McKinsey Global Institute’s research on technology, the economy, and major global trends.