Joelle Pineau

Joelle Pineau, who has just been appointed as Chief AI Officer at Cohere and is a Professor at McGill University's School of Computer Science.

A Canadian native and one of AI’s most respected voices, Pineau previously served as VP of AI Research at Meta, where she led the FAIR lab and helped guide development of the popular Llama models.

Her journey to the top has been anything but linear.

► She once played viola in the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra.

► With a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, her first tech project involved training a voice recognition system for helicopter pilots. With no female pilots available for recordings, she stepped into the cockpit herself, simulating stressful conditions to collect realistic data.

► Her innovations span personalized oncology treatment and the SmartWheeler intelligent wheelchair, reflecting her passion for technology that drives real-world impact.

Her honors include the 2019 Governor General’s Innovation Award and election to the The Royal Society of Canada | La Société royale du Canada.

With Cohere fresh off a $500M raise at a $6.8B valuation, her appointment marks an exciting new chapter for both company and industry.

Last updated: September 2025