Microsoft Intensifies AI Healthcare Push with Strategic Talent Acquisition from Google DeepMind

Microsoft's Mustafa Suleyman Is Recruiting Google DeepMind Talent As Redmond Plans AI Healthcare Superiority: Report - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

Microsoft Corporation MSFT is reportedly making significant strides in AI healthcare by recruiting former Alphbaet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL Google DeepMind staff. What Happened Mustafa Suleyman, who co-founded DeepMind in 2010 and is now Microsoft's AI head, is spearheading this initiative, reported the Financial Times. He has brought on board Dominic King, the ex-head of DeepMind's health unit, as vice-president of Microsoft's new AI health team in London. Christopher Kelly, a clinical research scientist from DeepMind, has also joined the team, along with two other former colleagues from the AI start-up. See Also: Trump Announces Plans To Have Dinner With Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos As Billionaire Rivals Turn Unexpected Allies After Years Of Clashes Microsoft's new consumer AI health division aims to leverage generative AI for health-related applications, addressing the growing trend of consumers seeking health information online. Microsoft confirmed the establishment of its new unit in a statement to the report, underscoring the importance of health as a critical use case for responsible AI. "We continue to hire top talent in support of these efforts." Microsoft did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments. Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox. Why It Matters: The healthcare sector has emerged as a significant growth area in the ongoing AI boom. According to a 2023 survey by Deloitte's Center for Health Solutions, involving 2,014 U.S. adults, over half (53%) of respondents believe generative AI could improve access to healthcare, while 46% think it holds promise for reducing healthcare costs. Moreover, 48% of the people said they use generative AI chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude to ask for health-related help. Meanwhile, Microsoft has been actively pushing the boundaries of AI. At its Ignite conference last month, the company unveiled over 80 product enhancements. At the time, JPMorgan analyst Mark Murphy said that Microsoft is uniquely positioned in the market, infusing GenAI across both application and infrastructure stacks. Microsoft's AI business is also on track to surpass a $10 billion annual revenue run rate, marking it as the fastest-growing segment in the company's history. CEO Satya Nadella highlighted the rapid adoption of AI across the company's product portfolio during its first quarter earnings call. Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link. Read Next: Tesla CEO Elon Musk Agrees With Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs On Guiding Talent: 'You Know Who The Best Managers Are?' Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman Is in a Talent War With His Former Companies

A talent war between Microsoft and Google DeepMind is heating up. Mustafa Suleyman, who joined Microsoft (MSFT) in March to head the newly created Microsoft AI unit, has been building his team at the tech giant with talent from his former companies, including Google (GOOGL) DeepMind and Inflection AI. Suleyman's latest hires included several former Google DeepMind staffers to join a new consumer health unit under Microsoft AI, the Financial Times first reported. Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter Sign Up Thank you for signing up! By clicking submit, you agree to our <a href="http://observermedia.com/terms">terms of service</a> and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime. See all of our newsletters The London-based health team will include ex-Google DeepMind employees like Dominic King and Christopher Kelly. King previously headed Google DeepMind's health unit, while Kelly acted as one of its research scientists. "The potential for artificial intelligence to address some of the world's biggest healthcare challenges is advancing at an extraordinary pace," said Kelly in a recent LinkedIn post announcing his new position at Microsoft. "In our mission to inform, support and empower everyone with responsible A.I., health is a critical use case," said Microsoft in a statement to Observer. "We continue to hire top talent in support of these efforts." Also recently joining Microsoft AI's health unit were Bay Gross, the co-founder of the tech health care provider Cityblock Health, and Peter Hames, former CEO of the digital health company Big Health. "We'll be forming a stellar team to pursue this important mission -- more to come!" said Hames of the unit on LinkedIn. Suleyman co-founded DeepMind in London in 2010 with his friend Demis Hassabis, who currently heads the Google-owned research lab. Hassabis won this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry for breakthroughs in protein structure design enabled by DeepMind's AlphaFold project. He additionally heads Isomorphic Labs, an Alphabet subsidiary focused on using A.I. for drug discovery. Suleyman joined Microsoft after the company struck a licensing deal with his startup Inflection AI. At Microsoft, Suleyman oversees the incorporation of A.I. in consumer products like Copilot, Bing and Edge. Microsoft is more focused on what consumers want while Google's emphasis sways towards building "cool technology," said Suleyman in a recent interview with The Verge. Káren Simonyan, a former DeepMind researcher who co-founded Inflection AI with Suleyman in 2022, joined him at Microsoft along with much of the startup's 70-person workforce. Nando de Freitas, a former senior A.I. director at Google DeepMind, was hired by Microsoft AI in September. And Trevor Black, a longtime Google DeepMind product manager, joined this month. In April, Suleyman amped up his talent war with the London-based Google DeepMind when he opened a new Microsoft AI hub in the city. He appointed Jordan Hoffman, an A.I. researcher who formerly worked at both Inflection AI and Google DeepMind, to run the London office.