Former Neighbors Turn Rivals in Tech Industry’s AI Contest

Childhood friends turned tech industry rivals, Mustafa Suleyman and Demis Hassabis have taken diverging paths in the world of artificial intelligence. Growing up in London, the two co-founded DeepMind in 2010 with the ambitious goal of developing artificial general intelligence (A.G.I.). However, their journey has led them to lead separate A.I. initiatives at Google and Microsoft, respectively.

Dr. Hassabis now heads Google DeepMind, focusing on creating cutting-edge A.I. technology, while Mr. Suleyman leads Microsoft AI, working to bring A.I. to everyday consumers. Despite their friendly rivalry, they maintain a respectful relationship as they navigate the competitive A.I. market.

Their shared interest in high-stakes poker as children sparked discussions about changing the world through technology. Dr. Hassabis aimed to build advanced technologies, while Mr. Suleyman focused on making immediate social impacts. With the backing of venture capitalist Peter Thiel, they founded DeepMind with a mission to develop A.G.I. free from commercial pressures.

However, their paths diverged when DeepMind was acquired by Google in 2014, raising concerns about the influence of corporate interests on A.I. research. Mr. Suleyman’s management style at DeepMind also came under scrutiny, leading him to start his own A.I. company, Inflection AI, which was later acquired by Microsoft.

As Dr. Hassabis and Mr. Suleyman continue to shape the future of artificial intelligence, their shared vision for using technology to benefit society remains a driving force in their work. From childhood friends to industry rivals, their journey reflects the dynamic and competitive nature of the A.I. market.