Google taps former Character.AI founder to lead AI innovations

Google taps former Character.

• In 2021, Shazeer founded Character.AI, a startup that leverages advancements from his earlier research.
• Google had considered investing heavily in Character.AI but ultimately decided to bring Shazeer back into the fold.

OUR TAKE
By founding Character.AI, Shazeer has pushed the boundaries of conversational AI, creating a platform that utilises advanced AI techniques. The startup’s significant funding and valuation reflect the growing interest and investment in AI technologies, highlighting the importance of innovation in this sector. The shift is part of a broader trend where major tech companies acquire talent from AI startups amid growing regulatory scrutiny of their practices.
-Lia XU, BTW reporter

What happened

Google has made a strategic move to strengthen its AI capabilities by appointing Noam Shazeer, the former CEO of Character.AI, as a co-lead on its Gemini AI project. Shazeer, who rejoined Google from the chatbot startup he founded in 2021, will take on a pivotal role alongside Jeff Dean and Oriol Vinyals in steering the development of Gemini, an advanced line of AI models being spearheaded by Google’s DeepMind division.

Shazeer, who originally joined Google in 2000 and co-authored a landmark 2017 research paper on AI, expressed his enthusiasm in response to the memo, stating, “We are thrilled to join the best team on earth building the most valuable technology on earth”.

Character.AI, which utilises the advancements from Shazeer’s seminal paper, has been valued at $1 billion following a $193 million funding round last year. This valuation underscores the impact of Shazeer’s work on the AI field and his potential influence on Google’s future innovations.

Also read: Google hires Character.AI talent and signs licensing agreement

Also read: Google launches Pixel 9 with new AI features

Why it’s important

Shazeer’s return to Google marks a significant shift for the tech giant, which had previously been in discussions about investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Character.AI. Instead, Google opted to bring Shazeer and several of his former team members into its fold, highlighting the growing trend of major tech companies securing top AI talent from startups. This move includes a licensing agreement with Character.AI, reflecting Google’s commitment to leveraging advanced innovations in artificial intelligence.

The timing of this appointment comes as tech giants, including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, face increased regulatory scrutiny. Notably, a U.S. judge recently ruled that Google’s search engine operations violated antitrust laws, focusing on the company’s substantial investments to maintain a dominant market position.

As Google integrates Shazeer’s expertise into its AI initiatives, the move not only aims to bolster its technological edge but also reflects broader industry trends where major tech firms are actively acquiring AI talent and technology to stay ahead in a competitive and rapidly evolving landscape.