Microsoft appoints first ever Chief Scientific Officer

For the first time in its history, Microsoft has a Chief Scientific Officer following the appointment of Eric Horvitz to the role.

Horvitz who joined Microsoft in 1993, has been a Technical Fellow and Director at Microsoft’s Research Labs. He also co-chairs its Artificial Intelligence and Ethics in Engineering and Research committee.

The technology giant said that Horvitz “will provide cross-company leadership on advances and trends on scientific matters, and on issues and opportunities rising at the intersection of technology, people and society.”

More crucially, his team will advise the company on its “scientific directions and capabilities, including standing up new initiatives, providing guidance on company priorities and assessing important areas for investment in science and technology.”

Providing more insights into his role, Horvitz shared on LinkedIn, “The focus of the chief scientist position is to provide cross-company leadership on advances and trends related to scientific matters and on important issues and opportunities rising at the intersection of science, technology, and society.

“The role combines three of my passions: Advancing the frontiers of our scientific understanding, harnessing technical advances to empower people and organizations in new ways, and leveraging our best interpretations of the future to help guide our near-term investments,” he added.

While research labs are not uncommon in large tech companies such as Google, Facebook and IBM, the role of Chief Scientific Officer is a rare one. Thus the latest appointment by Microsoft is an evident of its further commitment to research.