Demis Hassabis, the Greek-Cypriot co-founder of Google DeepMind, has been elevated to one of the most powerful roles in ...

Demis Hassabis, the Greek-Cypriot co-founder of Google DeepMind, has been elevated to one of the most powerful roles in artificial intelligence. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced Thursday that Hassabis is taking on the dual title of Chair of Google DeepMind and Chief Scientist of Alphabet, while also continuing to lead Isomorphic Labs, the AI-driven drug discovery company he heads. The reorganization comes as Pichai says the development of Artificial General Intelligence is entering a particularly critical phase. Day-to-day operations at Google DeepMind will now be handled by Koray Kavukcuoglu, the former Chief Technology Officer and Chief AI Architect, who moves into a Senior Vice President role. Pichai pointed to strong momentum across the company's AI ecosystem, noting that the Gemini app has surpassed 950 million monthly active users and that demand from businesses and developers continues to grow. He said Hassabis's new position will free him to focus entirely on shaping the future of AGI and scientific research, describing the mission as critical for both Alphabet and humanity. In a message to Google DeepMind employees, Hassabis called the current moment a "pivotal point in human history." He said he has dedicated his entire career to AGI and now feels, along with many of his colleagues, that it is genuinely close. He emphasized that the next steps must be taken carefully to ensure the technology benefits humanity rather than harms it. Hassabis also stressed what he called the single most important application of AI, using it to improve human health. He said it is time for AI to prove its real-world value by helping tackle diseases including cancer, a goal he intends to pursue further through his continued leadership of Isomorphic Labs. #DeepMind #AI #Greece