Character.AI will continue to operate independently under interim CEO Dominic Perella, ensuring its user base. “Our talented team remains dedicated to building the Character.AI platform and serving our growing community,” the company said.
The deal underscores the fierce competition for AI talent and technology. In recent months, Microsoft and Amazon recruit key personnel from promising AI startups.
For Google, the partnership means it wants to regain a foothold in the AI space. The release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT sparked internal concerns that it could be left behind despite past advances. Google has since merged its AI labs with Google Deep Mindled by AI specialist Demis Hassabis.
“…glad to have him back”
“We are thrilled to welcome Shazeer back,” a Google spokesperson said. Shazeer will join DeepMind with a select team. He expressed his excitement about returning and collaborating with Google DeepMind while acknowledging Character.AI’s accomplishments: “I’m proud of what we’ve built together.” He believes the partnership with Google will ensure Character.AI’s “continued success.” Financial details are being kept confidential.
Character.AI originally aimed to create a flexible AI platform for developing various services. Last year, the founders imagined a future where everyone could have access to personalized AI companions.
The platform allows users to create chatbots that impersonate anyone, real or fictional. Millions of chatbots have been created, with some becoming popular conversation partners. For example, a bot imitating Genshin Impact character Raiden Shogun has received over 371 million messages.
Recently, Character.AI expanded beyond text, introducing “Character Calls” for phone calls with chatbots and “Character Voice” to generate personalized voices.
While a return to Google seemed unlikely last year, this partnership signals a new chapter in the AI race, with established players and rising stars collaborating to push the boundaries of the field.
