Google DeepMind hires a philosopher

17-Apr-2026

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Google DeepMind has hired philosopher Henry Shevlin to help prepare for artificial general intelligence (AGI) and explore machine consciousness and human-AI relationships. Shevlin will teach ethics to AI models to align them with human values. 

This follows similar moves by AI firms like Anthropic, which hired philosopher Amanda Askell. The hiring reflects growing concerns about AI autonomy and ethical risks, highlighted by incidents like an attack on Sam Altman's home. Shevlin also continues his academic role at Cambridge.