Chinese internet search-engine giant Baidu Inc. announced an organizational shakeup on Tuesday to boost its push to become a major player in artificial intelligence and smart devices.
The tech company said it is merging three existing units — the Duer Business Unit, Raven Studio and the Hardware Ecosystem Division — to become the Smart Living Group. That newly created division will be directly supervised by Lu Qi, Baidu’s chief operating officer.
The Duer Business Unit has been developing Baidu’s conversational AI system DuerOS. Raven Studio has led Baidu’s development of innovative products. Meanwhile the Hardware Ecosystem Department has focused on device production and sales.
