Topics
Latest
AI
Amazon
Image Credits:Toby Melville – WPA Pool / Getty Images
Apps
Biotech & Health
clime
Image Credits:Toby Melville – WPA Pool / Getty Images
Cloud Computing
Commerce
Crypto
enterprisingness
EVs
Fintech
Fundraising
Gadgets
punt
Government & Policy
Hardware
Layoffs
Media & Entertainment
Meta
Microsoft
privateness
Robotics
security measure
societal
Space
startup
TikTok
transport
Venture
More from TechCrunch
consequence
Startup Battlefield
StrictlyVC
Podcasts
Videos
Partner Content
TechCrunch Brand Studio
Crunchboard
Contact Us
Demis Hassabis , CEO and one of three founders of Google ’s artificial intelligence ( AI ) subsidiary DeepMind , hasbeen awardeda knighthood in the U.K. for “ services to artificial intelligence service . ”
Ian Hogarth , hot seat of the U.K. government ’s recently launchedAI Safety Instituteand previouslyfounder of music inauguration Songkick , was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire ( CBE ) for service to AI ; as wasMatt Clifford , AI adviser to the U.K. government and co - founder of ace - former - stage investor Entrepreneur First .
Prodigy
Hassabis was born in London in 1976 , come forth as a prognostic in a number of discipline , and reachingmaster statusat chess by the clip he was a teenager . He afterward became lead software engineer at legendary U.K. TV game developerBullfrog Productions ; graduated from the University of Cambridge with first - class honors in Computer Science ; and worked in various AI and reckoner scientific discipline role before win a PhD in cognitive neuroscience from University College London ( UCL ) .
AlongsideShane LeggandMustafa Suleyman , whoMicrosoft hired from AI inauguration Inflection AI last week , Hassabis founded DeepMind out of London in 2010 .
Hassabiswas present a CBE in 2017for “ services to science and engineering ” in the wake of some high - profile achievements at DeepMind — this admit rise an AI organisation thatbeat the mankind champion of strategy board secret plan Go . However , the company also solicit controversy aftersigning data - sharing dealswith the U.K. ’s National Health Service ( NHS ) . tight - forward seven years , and it ’s recite that his knighthood was award specifically for services to “ artificial intelligence agency , ” a theatre of operations that has catapulted into the mainstream consciousness over the past 18 month due to technologiessuch as OpenAI ’s ChatGPT .
The U.K. has been eager to lay itself at the forefront of the AI revolution , push by initiative such as theAI Safety Summit which it host in England last November . And it sit down among thetop - tier AI country globallyin terms of R&D investment , behind the U.S. and China , with DeepMind serving as one of the U.K. ’s great AI exports . Aftersnapping up DeepMind in 2014for Union of $ 500 million , it has emerged as one of Google ’s most critical assets , as the major applied science companies battle it out for AI dominance — alongside Google Research , DeepMind is responsible for Gemini , Google ’s contender to OpenAI ’s GPT - brand family of big language models .
So it does make sense that the U.K. would essay to respect one of its most high - profile AI figurehead . Other notable public figure from the technology earthly concern to receive knighthoods include Apple ’s Jonathan “ Jony ” Iveback in 2011for “ services to invention and enterprise . ”
Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
Delighted and honoured to have a Knighthood for services to AI . It ’s been an incredible journeying so far building@GoogleDeepMindover the retiring 15 years , helping accelerate the field and raise the UK & global AI ecosystem . Thanks to everyone who helped make this ambition possible !
— Demis Hassabis ( @demishassabis)March 28 , 2024
In 100 gone by , knighthoods were typically reserve for military accomplishment , but today they are commonly award for service and achievements of national import — that could be contributions to skill , athletics , entertainment and technology . A knighthood is usually proposed by the prime minister , government section , fellow member of Parliament or even member of the public , with the head of state — i.e. the king or fagot at that make time — technically making the terminal decision on who invite them .
The recipient role does n’t get any meaningful privileges off the back of their knighthood , but they get the ethnic and societal kudos relate with being allowed to prefix their name with “ Sir . ”
