Tencent Holdings Ltd. has hired Yao Shunyu, an artificial intelligence researcher who previously worked at OpenAI. The hiring is one of the most high-profile examples of a researcher moving from the U.S. AI sector to China, according to people familiar with the matter.
Yao will work from Tencent’s headquarters in Shenzhen, where he will focus on integrating AI technologies into the company’s services. The sources who confirmed the move requested anonymity because the hiring has not been publicly announced.
Before joining Tencent, Yao worked at OpenAI in the United States. His LinkedIn profile also lists previous positions at Google and Princeton University. The hire reflects a broader push by Chinese companies to attract leading experts in artificial intelligence.
