David Luan, who heads Amazon’s Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) lab, has announced that he will leave the company. Luan shared the update publicly, saying he plans to step away by the end of the week to focus on new opportunities in artificial intelligence research.
Luan joined Amazon in June 2024 after the company acquired his startup, Adept AI Labs. The deal brought him and several members of his team into Amazon, where they became part of a newly created AGI division based in San Francisco. The lab was set up to work on advanced AI systems, including agent-based technologies that can perform tasks with minimal human input.
During his time at Amazon, Luan played a key role in building and launching Nova Act, an AI agent designed to complete tasks autonomously in a web browser. The technology was integrated into services such as Alexa’s upgraded experiences and positioned as a competitor to similar tools developed by other major AI players.
In his farewell note, Luan thanked Amazon’s leadership, including CEO Andy Jassy, and highlighted the progress made in scaling AI models and developing new research capabilities. He suggested that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence influenced his decision to pursue fresh challenges in the field.
Following his departure, oversight of the AGI team will move under Peter DeSantis, a senior executive within Amazon Web Services (AWS). The leadership change comes as Amazon continues to streamline and strengthen its AI operations amid intense global competition.
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