Google has invested $2.7 billion to bring back AI expert Noam Shazeer, co-founder of Character.AI, allowing the company to leverage advanced AI technology without fully acquiring the business. Shazeer has rejoined Google’s DeepMind team.
After leaving Google in 2021, he founded Character.AI, which attracted 20 million users and achieved a valuation of $1 billion. Now, he will lead Google’s AI initiative, Gemini, enhancing the company’s AI capabilities and steering their next-generation developments.