The company named Fei-Fei Li to fill the seat, effective immediately.

Li is the inaugural Sequoia Professor in the computer science department at Stanford University, as well as the Denning Family co-director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute.

She had been director of Stanford’s artificial intelligence lab from 2013 through 2018 and, during a stint at Google from January 2017 through September 2018, she served as vice president and chief scientist of AI and machine learning at Google Cloud.

Li joined Stanford as an assistant professor in 2009 after being on faculty at Princeton University and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Twitter executive chairman Omid Kordestani said, “With unparalleled expertise in engineering, computer science and AI, Fei-Fei brings relevant perspectives to the board as Twitter continues to utilize technology to improve our service and achieve our long-term objectives. She shares Twitter’s passion for using technology to promote positive change, and her appointment aligns with our commitment to adding a director who reflects the diversity of the Twitter service and also possesses deep technology and AI expertise.”

Li added, “Twitter is an incredible example of how technology can connect the world in powerful ways, and I am honored to join the board at such an important time in the company’s history. AI and machine learning can have an enormous impact on technology and the people who use it. I look forward to leveraging my experience for Twitter as it harnesses this technology to benefit everyone who uses the service.”