Frontier lab
Google DeepMind
Alphabet's AI research lab, formed from DeepMind and Google Brain in 2023; builds the Gemini model family and AlphaFold.
Google DeepMind is the AI research and model-building arm of Alphabet. DeepMind was founded in London in 2010 by Demis Hassabis, Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman, and was acquired by Google in January 2014. In April 2023 Google merged DeepMind with the Google Brain team to form Google DeepMind. The lab states its mission as “to build AI responsibly to benefit humanity” and frames its long-term goal in terms of artificial general intelligence rather than Super Intelligence.
The lab is responsible for the Gemini model family, introduced in December 2023 as a natively multimodal model and since extended across several generations. In September 2026 Google announced Gemini 4, anchored by a top-tier model called Argon, which reached the Gemini app for paying subscribers in October 2026. Google DeepMind’s scientific work includes AlphaFold, whose protein structure prediction earned Hassabis and John Jumper a share of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Leadership changed in August 2026. Hassabis stepped back from the CEO role to become chair of Google DeepMind and chief scientist of Alphabet. Koray Kavukcuoglu, previously chief technology officer, took over day-to-day leadership as senior vice president, reporting to Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Around the same time, long-serving Google chief scientist Jeff Dean left to co-found a new company.
Google DeepMind’s models reach users through the Gemini app, Google Search and Workspace, the Gemini API via Google AI Studio, and Google Cloud’s enterprise offerings.
Key facts
- Founded: 2010 (DeepMind); merged with Google Brain in 2023
- Headquarters: London, with research centres in several countries
- Leadership: Koray Kavukcuoglu (SVP, day-to-day lead); Demis Hassabis (Chair)
- Flagship products: Gemini model family, AlphaFold
For current details see deepmind.google.