Late last year, Google began talks with DeepMind, the London-based artificial intelligence company, which has now been confirmed for almost $500 million.
In describing the company’s vision, Larry Wasserman, a Professor in the machine learning department at Carnegie Mellon, wrote, “The startup is trying to build a system that thinks by combining machine learning and neuroscience. I thought it sounded crazy until [co-founder Mr Legg] told me the list of famous billionaires who have invested in the company.”
This comes as no surprise as Google clearly wants to gain an advantage over other tech companies that are focused on gaining business advantage through deep learning. Not only is Yahoo and IBM working on similar project but Facebook recently hired NYU Professor Yann LeCunn to head its first artificial intelligence lab.
The acquisition was led by Google’s CEO, Larry Page, and with it going through, all three founders along with Ray Kurzweil will be working for Google.
In fact, Kurzweil has been emphatic in wanting to build a search engine that will act as a ‘cybernetic friend’.
And considering the controversy over Google’s purchase of Boston Dynamics last month, the company has gone to great lengths to calm user fears over why a search engine company would acquire a robotics manufacturer. In fact, it has set up an ethics board that will ensure that DeepMind’s artificial technology isn’t abused.
That said, the company will also have to clarify what its new role in Google will have to be, considering the vague description of being ‘a cutting-edge artificial intelligence company’.