Ex-Google Engineers Who Founded Character.AI Rejoin Company with New AI Partnership
Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, who co-founded the AI startup Character.AI, are rejoining Google as part of a new collaboration with Google’s AI unit DeepMind. Character.AI, a prominent player in the AI field, uses large language models to enable users to create and interact with chatbots. Despite reaching a $1 billion valuation in its early days, the startup did not generate revenue initially but has considered offering subscription services in the future.
Shazeer and De Freitas left Google in 2021 after their attempts to advance Google’s chatbot technology were reportedly rejected. They founded Character.AI the same year. The startup has now agreed to provide Google with a nonexclusive license for its large language model technology. This partnership will allow Character.AI to secure additional funding and focus on developing personalized AI products.
The move highlights Google’s effort to strengthen its position in the competitive AI landscape, particularly as it faces increased scrutiny over its AI initiatives. The partnership is also part of a broader trend of major tech companies forming alliances and acquiring talent to enhance their AI capabilities amidst regulatory challenges. For example, Microsoft recently hired Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of AI startup DeepMind, and U.K. regulators have scrutinized Microsoft’s acquisition of DeepMind staff.
