Google VP Joins Airbnb’s Board Of Directors To Help The Platform Leverage AI

Airbnb has announced Google’s Senior Vice President of Research, Tech and Society, James Manyika, is joining its Board of Directors.

Meet James Manyika

Zimbabwe-born Manyika is Senior Vice President of Google’s Research, Tech and Society Team, a role which includes overseeing Google Labs and Google Research.

Manyika is a graduate of both the University of Zimbabwe and the University of Oxford, where he holds two master’s degrees and a PhD in AI and Robotics.

He also was a senior partner at McKinsey & Co. and sat as the chairman and director of McKinsey Global Institue.

With a published book on AI and robotics earlier in his career, he recently published “No Ordinary Disruption” on global economic trends and continues to publish numerous articles and reports.

Additionally, he was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as vice chair of the Global Development Council at the White House, and he serves on the board of the Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.

This month, Manyika was named one of TIME’s 100 most influential people in AI.

Manyika Joins Airbnb

Airbnb has now announced that Manyika will officially join the company’s Board of Directors and will chair the Board’s Stakeholder Committee.

“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,” said Manyika in their press release.

“I’m honored 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.”

As Airbnb aims to leverage AI, according to AfroTech, CEO Brian Chesky believes that with Manyika’s background experience and expertise, he’s a leader to follow.

“He started advising Airbnb in 2018 and has been my essential thought partner for years,” said Chesky.

“He’s dedicated his career to exploring technology’s impact on society and is one of the world’s leading experts in AI. With James joining our Board, we’ll continue to benefit from his guidance as we embark on the dawn of this new technological revolution.”

Featured Image Credit: Arno Mikkor