Alphabet merges Google Brain and DeepMind to boost artificial intelligence research
Alphabet Inc is teaming up with Google Brain and DeepMind as it doubles down on AI research in its competition with rival systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot.
The new division will be led by DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, and its creation will ensure the “bold and responsible development of general artificial intelligence,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blog post Thursday.
Alphabet said the merging teams have delivered several high-profile projects, including Transformer, a technology that formed the basis of some of OpenAI’s own work.
Moving forward, Alphabet’s staff is working on “multimodal” AI, such as OpenAI’s latest model GPT-4, which can respond to not only text prompts but also image inputs to generate new content.
Google has dominated the search market for decades with a share of more than 80 percent, but Wall Street fears the Alphabet unit could fall behind Microsoft Corporation in the fast-moving artificial intelligence race. OpenAI’s technology, funded by Microsoft, uses a rival software manufacturer’s updated Bing search engine.
In February, Alphabet announced the release of Bard, which also accepts ChatGPT. It lost $100 billion in value on Feb. 8 after Bard shared inaccurate information in a promotional video and the company’s event failed to dazzle.
Alphabet’s stock rose 2 percent on Thursday.
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