Uber on Monday announced the acquisition of startup Geometric Intelligence, a move designed to increase its presence in the autonomous vehicle technology field. Geometric CEO Gary Marcus will become the chief of Uber's new artificial intelligence business. He will lead the newly formed Uber AI Labs, which will be dedicated to conducting research into artificial intelligence and machine learning for Uber, according to Jeff Holden, the company's chief product officer. The new AI lab initially will be staffed with the 15 employees from Geometric Intelligence, and additional hires are expected in the future. The firm grew out of a business incubator at NYU through a partnership between its Tandon School of Engineering and the New York City Data Future Labs.