Google DeepMind employees explore funding for AI startup at London breakfast meeting

A group of 15 Google DeepMind employees and alumni gathered for breakfast at a five-star hotel in central London on September 25, discussing plans to raise money for a new artificial intelligence startup. The meeting took place just across the street from Google’s UK headquarters. No specific startup name or lead investor has been publicly identified from the gathering. The DeepMind mafia takes shape Former DeepMind researchers have founded dozens of AI startups across the UK and Europe in recent years. The most eye-catching example: Ineffable Intelligence, led by former DeepMind researcher David Silver, which recently secured $1.1B in seed funding. Silver is best known for his work on AlphaGo, the system that defeated the world champion Go player in 2016. London’s quiet rise as an AI hub When Google acquired DeepMind in 2014, it kept the lab headquartered in London rather than relocating it to Mountain View. The researchers who trained at DeepMind and then left to start companies have largely stayed in the UK and Europe. The breakfast gathering also highlights an interesting geographic tension in AI funding. The participants reportedly discussed investor interest from Silicon Vall...