Google Splashes $2.7 Billion to Reunite with Prodigal AI Genius

Google Splashes $2.7 Billion to Reunite with Prodigal AI Genius

Hold onto your hard drives, folks! Google just made a splash in the AI talent pool, spending a whopping $2.7 billion to rehire Noam Shazeer, an AI whiz who left the company in a huff three years ago.

Shazeer, a Google veteran hired back in the early days (2000!), wasn’t happy when the search giant refused to unleash a chatbot he’d co-developed. So, in true Silicon Valley fashion, he teamed up with his colleague Daniel De Freitas and started their own venture – Character.AI.

Fast forward to today, and Character.AI has become a red-hot AI startup, boasting a cool $1 billion valuation and over 20 million monthly users. But wait, there’s more! Google, evidently missing Shazeer’s brilliance, swooped in with a unique licensing deal.

Here’s the breakdown:

  • The Price Tag: $2.7 billion! Google gets access to Character.AI’s tech and, crucially, Shazeer and his team.
  • The Twist: This isn’t a full-blown acquisition, meaning Google gets Shazeer’s genius faster without regulatory hurdles.
  • The Motive: Google insiders whisper Shazeer’s return is the real prize. Word on the street is that even ex-CEO Eric Schmidt believes Shazeer can build an AI with human-level intelligence. Talk about ambitious!

So, what does this means for the future of AI?

Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: Google is betting big on Shazeer’s expertise. Can he deliver on the hype and push the boundaries of AI? We’ll be watching closely (and hoping for some seriously cool advancements)!