Google has a new edge in the AI race

Google has strengthened its AI talent pipeline by completing a deal with San Francisco startup Mechanize Inc, according to public postings. Mechanize co-founder and former CEO Tamay Besiroglu is now a research scientist in Google’s AI division, DeepMind, and more than a dozen ex-Mechanize employees have joined Google, mostly on “midtraining,” a key step in building competitive chatbots. Google and Besiroglu declined to comment, and the final deal terms weren’t disclosed. Business Insider previously reported talks for a $1.5 billion-plus talent-and-tech agreement. Mechanize said it raised $9.1 million at a $500 million valuation earlier this year.