Google’s AI shake-up puts Demis Hassabis where the company needs him most, insiders say
Demis Hassabis is shifting to a new role that plays to his interests — and is crucial to helping Google make big leaps ahead.
Demis Hassabis, the former CEO of Google DeepMind, is stepping down from his role to assume the position of chief scientist at the company. This strategic move, according to insiders, is aimed at steering Google towards a significant leap in artificial intelligence. As part of the recent leadership reshuffle, Jeff Dean, the long-time chief scientist, departed.
Hassabis' new role will grant him a broader, long-term perspective that could facilitate groundbreaking advancements beyond current chatbots and coding applications. He will also chair DeepMind, the AI research company Google absorbed in 2023. Hassabis has been passionate about using AI for scientific breakthroughs, having previously led the development of AlphaFold, an AI system that solved the protein-folding problem, earning him a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Despite his recent focus on corporate politics and day-to-day management, Google employees view Hassabis' new position as aligning better with his passions and where the organization needs him most. The move comes at a critical time for Google, which is lagging behind competitors in AI coding and has yet to unveil its new frontier model.
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