That Google memo about having ‘no moat’ in AI was actual — and Google’s AI boss disagrees with it

Simply a few months in the past, a leaked memo mentioned to be from a Google researcher solid doubt on the corporate’s future in AI, stating that it has “no moat” within the trade — and now, we seemingly have affirmation that it was actual. In an interview with Decoder, Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google’s DeepMind, advised The Verge that though he believes the memo was official, he disagrees with its conclusions.

“I feel that memo was actual. I feel engineers at Google typically write numerous paperwork, and typically they get leaked and go viral,” Hassabis mentioned. “I feel it’s attention-grabbing to hearken to them, and you then’ve acquired to chart your personal course. And I haven’t learn that particular memo intimately, however I disagree with the conclusions from that.”

The memo, which was obtained by SemiAnalysis from a public Discord server, says that neither Google nor OpenAI have what they want to reach the AI trade. As a substitute, the researcher claims “a 3rd faction has been quietly consuming our lunch”: open-source AI fashions that the researcher says are “quicker, extra customizable, extra personal, and pound-for-pound extra succesful.”

However Hassabis is much less pessimistic about Google’s future within the AI trade. He believes that the aggressive nature of the corporate’s researchers will assist push Google to the forefront of AI, including that the newly merged Google Mind and Google DeepMind groups, which Hassabis was requested to steer, will seemingly end in extra breakthroughs.

“Take a look at the historical past of what Google and DeepMind have executed when it comes to developing with new improvements and breakthroughs,” Hassabis mentioned. “I’d wager on us, and I’m definitely very assured that that can proceed and truly be much more true over the subsequent decade when it comes to us producing the subsequent key breakthroughs identical to we did previously.”