BEIJING (AP) — Baidu Inc., which operates China's most popular Internet search engine, says it has hired a former Microsoft executive with a background in artificial intelligence to improve its competitiveness in the field.

Baidu said Qi Lu was named group president and chief operating officer in charge of products, technology and sales. Qi, who has a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University, previously was Microsoft Corp.'s global executive vice president.

Robin Li, Baidu's chairman, said in a statement, "With Dr. Lu on board, we are confident that our strategy will be executed smoothly and Baidu will become a world-class technology company and global leader in AI."