Key Takeaways
- Google re-hired AI pioneer Noam Shazeer through a $2.7 billion Character.AI licensing deal
- Shazeer’s internal comments on gender sparked controversy among colleagues
- The co-author of “Attention Is All You Need” is significantly shaping Gemini’s development
Google’s high-profile rehiring of AI visionary Noam Shazeer has created internal tensions after his controversial statements on company forums. According to The Information, Shazeer’s return through a Character.AI licensing deal has significantly impacted Gemini’s development while sparking workplace conflicts.
Internal Controversy Erupts
The situation escalated when Shazeer commented on Google’s internal discussion about supporting transgender and non-binary colleagues. He stated in a forum post: “I do not believe that humans have an attribute called gender. I do not believe that G-d puts people in the wrong bodies. I do not believe that it is okay to sterilise children. You have the right to your beliefs. I do not share them.”
Elon Musk publicly supported Shazeer’s position, writing “Noam is right” on X, referencing his criticism of what he calls the ‘woke mind virus’.
Shazeer’s AI Legacy
Noam Shazeer joined Google in 2000 as an early employee and made foundational contributions to modern AI. He co-authored the groundbreaking “Attention Is All You Need” paper that introduced the Transformer architecture – the foundation of today’s large language models.
During his initial Google tenure, Shazeer developed the Meena chatbot. After Google declined to release it publicly, he left to co-found Character.AI in 2021.
Google’s Strategic Move
Following ChatGPT’s 2022 launch, Google intensified its AI efforts, rebranding Bard to Gemini. The company secured a major licensing deal with Character.AI, bringing Shazeer, co-founder Daniel De Freitas, and key researchers back to Google amid fierce AI competition.
