A group of 15 current and former Google DeepMind employees met at a luxury hotel in central London on September 25. The participants discussed plans to raise capital for a new artificial intelligence startup, though no specific company name or lead investor has been disclosed.
The meeting occurred near Google's UK headquarters, reflecting a broader trend of researchers leaving the lab to launch their own ventures across the UK and Europe. Former DeepMind staff have established dozens of AI companies in the region since the lab was acquired by Google in 2014.
A notable example of this trend is Ineffable Intelligence, founded by former DeepMind researcher David Silver, which recently secured $1,1 billion in seed funding. Silver is recognized for his work on the AlphaGo system, which defeated a world champion Go player in 2016.
The gathering also underscored a geographic shift in the AI sector. While the talent remains concentrated in London, participants discussed significant investor interest from Silicon Valley, indicating that much of the capital for European AI startups continues to flow from California.
