Sir Demis Hassabis has stepped down as chief executive of Google DeepMind as part of a significant restructuring within Alphabet’s artificial intelligence operations. Hassabis, who founded DeepMind in 2010 and guided it through its acquisition by Google in 2014 for £400 million, will assume the roles of chairman of DeepMind and chief scientist at Alphabet, the parent company of Google. Koray Kavukcuoglu, previously DeepMind’s chief technology officer and a longtime deputy to Hassabis, will take over as chief executive of the AI lab.
Based in London, DeepMind is known for pioneering AI advancements, including the development of AlphaGo—the first AI to defeat human champions in the board game Go—and for AlphaFold, an AI system that can predict protein structures, a breakthrough that earned Hassabis a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2024. Despite these achievements, Alphabet has faced challenges recently as competitors such as OpenAI and Anthropic have gained momentum, particularly in the development of AI coding assistants and language models.
The leadership change follows a broad shift in Alphabet’s AI strategy, which includes integrating DeepMind more closely with Google’s business units and focusing resources on projects such as Gemini, Google’s large language model initiative. The company has also experienced notable personnel changes, with Jeff Dean, Alphabet’s chief scientist, departing to start a new venture called Discovery Loop, alongside other AI researchers who have left for competing firms. Discovery Loop is a public benefit corporation aimed at advancing automated machine learning to accelerate scientific research, with financial backing from Google.
Hassabis explained that his decision to step back from daily management was driven by a desire to focus on the broader implications of artificial general intelligence (AGI). He emphasized the importance of managing the development of increasingly powerful AI systems responsibly, saying that the technology is approaching a pivotal moment in human history. Remaining in the UK, he will continue as chief executive of Isomorphic Labs, an AI-focused drug discovery company supported by Alphabet.
Alphabet’s stock declined following the announcement, reflecting investor concerns amid the ongoing transitions and competitive pressures in the AI industry. The recent consolidation of DeepMind with Google Brain in 2023 had reportedly caused frustration among some researchers, contributing to the wave of departures from the company. Despite these challenges, Hassabis described the business as being in a strong position, citing Alphabet’s comprehensive capabilities across infrastructure, cloud services, AI models, and applications. The leadership adjustments appear aimed at refocusing efforts to maintain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.