Google AI Researcher Departs After Contributing to Notable Paper
A startup is being launched by an artificial intelligence researcher who played a significant role in co-authoring one of Google’s most influential papers in the field.
Llion Jones, who helped write the groundbreaking AI paper “Attention Is All You Need,” confirmed to Bloomberg that he will be leaving Google Japan later this month. He said he plans to start a business after time off.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to leave Google, it’s been a fantastic decade with them, but it’s time to try something different,” Jones wrote in a message to Bloomberg. “It also seems like a good time to build something new, given the speed and development of artificial intelligence.”
A Google spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Since its release in 2017, “Attention Is All You Need” has become a sensation in Silicon Valley. The paper introduced the concept of transformers, systems that help AI models zero in on the most important information from the data being analyzed. Transformers are now central building blocks for large language models, a technology that underpins popular AI products such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
In the intervening years, the paper’s authors have launched notable startups, including Cohere, which offers LLMs to corporate clients, and Character.AI, which allows users to create chatbots that mimic celebrities and historical figures. With Jones’ departure, all eight authors have now left Google.
