Key AI researcher leaves Google

One of the best artificial intelligence researcher from Google, one who co-authored one of the tech company’s most influential papers in the field is set to leave the company to launch a start-up.

Llion Jones helped write the pioneering AI paper “Attention Is All You Need,” and he gave the confirmation statement to Bloomberg that he will be leaving Google Japan later this month. He said the plan is to start a company after taking time off.

Jones said it was not an easy decision leaving Google, it’s been a fantastic decade with them but it’s time to try something different. “It also feels like good timing to build something new given the momentum and progress in AI.” – he added.

Since “Attention Is All You Need” was published in 2017, it has become a sensation in Silicon Valley. The paper introduced the concept of transformers, systems that help AI models zero in on the most important pieces of information in the data they are analysing.

Currently, transformers are the key building blocks for large language models, the technology that underpins popular AI products such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Over the years, the authors of the papers have launched notable start-ups, which include Cohere, which offers LLMs to corporate customers, and Character.AI, which lets users create chatbots emulating celebrities and historical figures.

With Jones’ departure, all eight authors have now left Google.