Former Deepmind star lands $1.1bn backing for AI startup Tech An ex-Google DeepMind researcher has secured one of Europe’s largest AI funding rounds, as investors race to back a new generation of frontier labs beyond large language models (LLMs). David Silver has raised $1.1bn (£880m) for his London-based startup Ineffable Intelligence at a valuation of $5.1bn, in a round led by Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed [...]
OpenAI backs London with hub expansion and new roles Tech OpenAI is to make London its largest research hub outside the United States, in what ministers have hailed as a “huge vote of confidence” in the UK’s AI sector. The ChatGPT developer confirmed it will significantly expand its London operation, which currently employs around 30 researchers, though it declined to put a figure on how [...]
Ex-Deepmind executive adds to wave of stark AI warnings Tech A former senior executive at Google’s AI branch has warned that the global economy is heading towards a concerning divide between those who control AI and those displaced by it, arguing that governments are unprepared for the scale of change ahead. Dex Hunter-Torricke, who previously led communications at Google Deepmind and has worked for both [...]
King’s Cross retail sales boom as reinvention continues January 22, 2026 King’s Cross retail sales rose by double digits last year as the zone’s reinvention attracts significant retail and leisure investment. Total sales across the King’s Cross estate climbed by 13.5 per cent year on year, with retail sales up by 16 per cent and food and drink sales also climbing by 10 per cent. [...]
Kings Cross spinout district could create 20,000 new jobs January 20, 2026 The innovation district around Kings Cross and Euston has the potential to grow into the UK's version of Kendall Square, writes Geraint Rees.
Google DeepMind partners with the government on AI innovation December 11, 2025 The government has struck a major deal with Google DeepMind which will see UK scientists gain priority access to its AI technologies. The Alphabet-owned AI giant will also create a new AI system aimed to cut government bureaucracy, and develop a version of Gemini – Google’s largest AI model – to be integrated into schools. [...]
Google UK cuts 400 jobs as turnover nears £3bn October 3, 2025 The UK arm of Google cut almost 400 jobs during its latest financial year as its turnover neared the £3bn mark, it has been revealed. The London-headquartered division reduced its headcount from 7,422 to 7,029 in 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The results also reveal that Google UK’s turnover increased in the [...]
AI giants ‘fundamentally unprepared’ for dangers of human level intelligence July 17, 2025 The world’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) companies are hurtling toward the creation of human-level AI – but without a credible safety net. Top AI developers of being “fundamentally unprepared” for the consequences of the very systems they are racing to build, warned the Future of Life Institute (FLI). In a recent report, the US-based AI [...]
Meta nabs Apple AI chief – a win for Zuckerberg or a sign of Apple’s weakness? July 8, 2025 Meta has reportedly secured another coup in the escalating race for AI dominance, poaching Apple’s head of AI models, Rooming Pang, in a deal said to be worth tens of millions of dollar a year. While Pang’s defection might be viewed as a clear win for Mark Zuckerberg’s much-hyped ‘super intelligence’ project, it also casts [...]
AI regulation needs to be smarter in the UK, urges Deepmind boss June 3, 2025 Demis Hassabis, chief executive of Google Deepmind, has called on UK policymakers and business heavyweights to embrace the “smart regulation” of AI, warning that a failure to do so could prompt unintended harm, or the loss of public trust. He announced at London’s inaugural SXSW event on Monday: “AI is the most important technology humanity [...]