Top talent leaves Google DeepMind, some question if the lab can remain at the forefront of AI development | Fortune

Top talent has left Google DeepMind, raising questions about whether the lab can remain at the forefront of AI development, with some observers pointing to competitors. The report says a wave of researchers has departed in recent months, including David Silver, who left to launch Ineffable Intelligence. It also focuses on two High-profile exits in 48 hours: Noam Shazeer, who announced he is leaving to join OpenAI, after helping build Google’s early LaMDA-based chatbot system in 2021 and later returning after Google had licensed Character.ai technology in a deal reported as $2.7 billion in 2024. Shortly afterward, John Jumper announced he would move to Anthropic; Jumper shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis for AlphaFold. The article also references broader concerns about AI-driven cyber risk, noting that OpenAI is expanding a program for cyber defenders and that DeepMind is making progress on RSI, before the narrative cuts off.