Exclusive: Microsoft’s departing science president plans to join Mercedes F1 team as AI advisor

Peter Lee, the former president of Microsoft Science, is set to join the Mercedes Formula 1 team as an AI advisor, according to Fortune. Lee spent 16 years at Microsoft, working on various AI applications in the physical, biological, and medical sciences. When he joins Mercedes, he will focus on four main goals: using AI to solve physics problems for the team's car, breaking down organizational and data silos, building financial and predictive data models, and advising the team on AI regulations.

Lee's title and exact role are still under discussion, but he is expected to take on a one-year contract with the possibility of an extension. Lee expressed his excitement about the opportunity to be part of the racing world, stating that he has always admired racing since his youth. Mercedes did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lee's move highlights the growing influence of AI across various industries, including those outside of technology. In June, James Smith, who previously worked at Google's AI lab DeepMind, joined the Williams Formula 1 team as its chief information officer. Similarly, Lee's departure from Microsoft adds to a series of executive resignations at the company, as CEO Satya Nadella shifts the focus towards AI and cloud services.

During his tenure at Microsoft, Lee worked on projects such as InnerEye, which aimed to automate tumor outlining for radiation treatment planning, and assessed OpenAI's GPT-4 for potential medical applications. Microsoft recently unveiled an AI tool capable of diagnosing diseases with greater accuracy than human doctors at a lower cost.