Back to News

Google DeepMind alumni launch startups exploring alternatives to LLMs

#google deepmind#ai startups#llm alternatives#research exodus

Bloomberg reports that a wave of Google DeepMind researchers have recently left to launch AI startups focused on alternatives to large language models. The report highlights a London breakfast attended by 15 current and former DeepMind employees where the topic was discussed.

Coverage timeline

  1. Techmeme

    Bloomberg : A look at the wave of Google DeepMind researchers who have exited recently to launch their own AI startups focused on alternatives to LLMs — When a group of 15 Google DeepMind employees and alumni met for a breakfast this month in central London, the conversation quickly turned …

Related stories

  • Goodfire Researcher Defends Claim LLMs Are Easier to Understand Amid Pushback

    MIT Technology Review interviewed Goodfire researcher Nick Cammarata, whose viral blog post argued that LLMs are easier to understand than previously thought. The interview comes amid pushback from other researchers who dispute his claims, though the article does not detail their specific objections.

    1 reports · 1 sources
  • Ex-DeepMind Scientist David Silver Discusses RL-Based 'Super Learner' Startup

    In a Financial Times interview, former DeepMind scientist David Silver discussed his startup Ineffable, which is developing an AI 'super learner' using reinforcement learning as an alternative path to large language models. Silver, known for architecting AlphaGo, also expressed a moral obligation to advance the technology.

    1 reports · 1 sources
  • AlphaGo co-author Thore Graepel: LLMs cannot reason, leaves DeepMind to build reasoning AI

    Thore Graepel, a core author of AlphaGo, published an MIT Technology Review essay arguing that large language models cannot truly reason, drawing praise from Turing Award winner Yann LeCun. He also announced he has left Google DeepMind to start a company focused on giving machines real reasoning ability, citing AlphaGo's move 37 as an example of reasoning through search rather than intuition.

    1 reports · 1 sources
  • DeepMind launches institute to debate AGI deployment, Legg warns on safety

    Google DeepMind cofounder Shane Legg has launched the DeepMind Institute to publicly explore questions around the deployment of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Legg warned that advancing AI must never run ahead of safety, amid growing calls for an industry slowdown.

    2 reports · 2 sources

News updates every hour. Subscribe in your RSS reader to get new stories automatically.

Subscribe