DeepMind Robotics Researcher Joins NVIDIA-Backed Startup

DeepMind Robotics Expert Launches New AI Startup

A former senior research scientist from DeepMind, specializing in robotics and artificial intelligence, has departed Google to establish a new venture, Generalist AI. This new company has already secured funding from Nvidia, as reported by TechCrunch.

Generalist AI and Nvidia's Investment

Pete Florence was identified as the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Generalist AI during a presentation at Nvidia’s GTC conference held in San Jose. The presentation featured companies within the portfolio of Nvidia’s venture capital division, NVentures.

NVentures has significantly increased its venture capital activity coinciding with Nvidia’s substantial financial gains in the current era of AI development.

Startup's Mission and Team

Florence indicated that Generalist AI is currently operating in a stealth mode. He explained the company’s core objective is “to realize the potential of general-purpose robots.”

According to his LinkedIn profile, Florence concluded his tenure at DeepMind one year prior. Kamyar Ghasemipour, a former student researcher at DeepMind, has also become a founding technical staff member at Generalist AI, as evidenced by his LinkedIn profile.

Growing Trend of DeepMind Alumni Startups

Florence’s departure contributes to a growing trend of former DeepMind employees launching their own companies. Examples include Reflection AI, an autonomous coding startup, Latent Labs, a biotech firm, and Mistral, among others.

Furthermore, key personnel involved in Google’s NotebookLM product, operating within Alphabet, also left to create their own AI startup late last year.

DeepMind's Robotics Efforts

DeepMind maintains its own dedicated robotics division. This division recently unveiled novel AI models designed for robot control. Florence’s previous work is referenced in the research paper detailing these models on four separate occasions.

Vision for the Future of Robotics

During the GTC panel, Florence refrained from detailing the specific activities of his startup, but confirmed its focus will be centered on robotics.

“Our commitment is to develop robots capable of performing any task,” Florence stated when asked about the potential impact of a successful startup. “Envision a future where the cost of physical labor approaches zero.”

Company Responses

Nvidia declined to provide a statement. Google did not respond to a request for comment.

Here's a summary of key points:

• Pete Florence founded Generalist AI after leaving DeepMind.
• Nvidia’s NVentures has invested in the startup.
• The company aims to create general-purpose robots.
• Several DeepMind alumni have recently launched their own ventures.