Google has appointed Noam Shazeer, a key figure in the artificial intelligence (AI) field, to co-lead its primary AI initiative, Gemini. Shazeer, the former CEO of startup Character. AI and long-term researcher at Google will now join Jeff Dean and Oriol Vinyals to lead the technical aspect of the Gemini project.
After founding Character.AI, Shazeer and several of his team members in 2021 were recruited back into Google in a deal worth billions, involving a licensing agreement with Character.AI.
Gemini models power various Google applications
Gemini is a series of AI models developed by a division of Google, DeepMind. These models are being incorporated into several Google applications such as Search and Pixel devices as the company looks to increase the functionality of its services with AI capabilities.
Shazeer’s return to Google also comes with his historical accomplishments in AI research. He is one of the co-authors of one of the most influential papers of 2017, which has contributed significantly to the current AI revolution. His early work can be considered the basis for the developments employed by Character.AI. It has been reported that Character.AI has managed to secure $193 million in funding and reached a valuation of $1 billion in 2023.
Tech giants compete for top AI talent amid regulatory concerns
Shazeer’s re-absorption comes in the wake of other tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft adopting the same move of re-employing former workers. Nevertheless, recent AI developments have not been done without the notice of the regulators.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is currently examining cases of Amazon and Microsoft, even though these are not traditional acquisitions. Recently, a U.S. judge declared that Google’s search engine had engaged in antitrust violations by spending billions of dollars to create an unlawful monopoly.
Also, the Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) recently stated that it would be imposing a fine on Google for not fulfilling its commitments to local search services. The TCA said it will fine Google €5m a day from 15 April until the company complies with its orders.
