AI Startup Holistic to Challenge Google’s DeepMind

Two of the leading scientists behind Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) arm, DeepMind, are leaving the company to start their own AI startup, Holistic, according to a Bloomberg report. Laurent Sifre and Karl Tuyl, who helped develop DeepMind’s Gemini AI models, have informed Google of their departure and have been seeking funding for their new venture.

What is Holistic?

Holistic is the name of the AI startup that Sifre and Tuyl are founding, which could raise up to 200 million euros ($217 million) from investors. The startup’s vision is to build a new AI model that can surpass or compete with the existing ones in the market, such as Google’s Gemini, OpenAI’s GPT-4 and DALL-E, and others.

Why are they leaving DeepMind?

DeepMind, which was acquired by Google in 2014, is one of the world’s most prominent AI research labs, with a mission to “solve intelligence” and use it to benefit humanity. DeepMind’s Gemini AI models are among the most advanced and versatile in the industry, powering various products and services, such as Bard, a natural language generation system, and Pixel, a smartphone with AI features.

However, working for DeepMind also comes with some drawbacks and restrictions, such as being under the control of Google and Alphabet, which may have different goals and agendas than the researchers. Moreover, the AI Startup sector is highly competitive and dynamic, with new discoveries and innovations happening frequently.

Therefore, some of the top minds and scientists in the field may prefer to have more freedom and flexibility to pursue their own ideas and visions, rather than being limited by the corporate structure and culture.

What are the implications of their departure?

The departure of Sifre and Tuyl from DeepMind is a major loss for the company, as they are among the key contributors to its AI research and development. Their exit also reflects the growing trend of talent migration in the AI Startup sector, as more and more experts and innovators are leaving established companies to start their own ventures or join smaller and more agile ones.

This could pose a challenge to the dominance and influence of the big tech giants, such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, which have invested heavily in AI startups and have access to vast amounts of data and resources. However, it could also foster more diversity and creativity in the AI ecosystem, as new players and perspectives emerge and challenge the status quo.

The departure of Sifre and Tuyl from DeepMind is also the latest in a series of high-profile exits at Google, which has been undergoing a restructuring and downsizing process. Google has recently laid off more than a thousand workers across various teams and announced more layoffs to come.

Additionally, two co-founders and several leaders of Fitbit, the wearable device maker that Google acquired in 2019, have also left the company last week.

Significant advancement in the field of AI Startup

The AI sector in the current year is poised to be distinguished by a primary attribute: an exceptionally swift enhancement of the technology as progressions accumulate, empowering AI to produce novel forms of media, imitate human cognition in innovative manners, and solve complex problems. AI Startup Holistic is one of the examples of how the field is evolving and expanding, as it aims to create a new AI model that can rival or surpass the current ones.