AI lab’s new leader based in California, with Demis Hassabis remaining in London as chairGoogle has denied that control of the company’s research efforts will shift towards the US as Demis Hassabis steps back from leading its London-based AI research wing, Deepmind. Last week, Google announced an overhaul of its senior leadership, with Hassabis (pictured) moving from chief executive to chair of Deepmind, as well as becoming chief scientist of Google’s parent company Alphabet. Hassabis co-founded Deepmind as a private AI research laboratory in 2010 and became chief executive when Google bought the company in 2014. With links to University College London, where Hassabis worked as a researcher, Deepmind is the most high-profile AI research lab in the UK and a cornerstone of London’s booming AI sector. The spokesperson added that Hassabis “will continue to be based out of our P37 office in London as will much of Google Deepmind’s leadership”.