Ex-Baidu metaverse chief Ma Jie has reportedly joined Kai-Fu Lee’s Sinovation Ventures as vice president. According to tech media outlet 36Kr, Ma has also established his own AI venture called Lingyi Wanwu. Ma recently resigned from Baidu amid the search engine giant’s reluctance to continue funding its metaverse unit due to an increased focus on artificial intelligence. Baidu’s decision to prioritize AI was driven by the rise of generative AI following OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in November last year. This development has prompted numerous AI experts and Chinese tech companies to venture into related projects and products. In March, Kai-Fu Lee announced his own initiative, Project AI 2.0, which aims to develop ChatGPT-like applications and an ecosystem for AI-powered productivity tools. [36Kr, in Chinese]