Shane Legg

About

Shane Legg is a New Zealand-born computer scientist, machine learning researcher, and entrepreneur who co-founded DeepMind Technologies, one of the world's leading artificial intelligence research laboratories. Alongside Demis Hassabis and Mustafa Suleyman, Legg established DeepMind in London in 2010 with the ambitious goal of solving intelligence and using it to solve other complex global challenges. He currently serves as the Chief AGI Scientist at Google DeepMind, following the merger of DeepMind and Google's Brain team in 2023. Legg received his PhD in 2008 from the Swiss artificial intelligence lab IDSIA under the supervision of Marcus Hutter. His doctoral thesis, which focused on mathematical definitions of machine intelligence, was awarded the prestigious Canadian Society for Computational Studies of Intelligence doctoral dissertation prize. Following his PhD, Legg conducted postdoctoral research at the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at University College London. Throughout his career, Legg has been a vocal proponent of AI safety, emphasizing the need to align superintelligent systems with human values before they are created. His research contributions span reinforcement learning, algorithmic information theory, and the theoretical foundations of artificial general intelligence. When DeepMind was acquired by Google in 2014, Legg transitioned to Google where he has continued to lead safety and AGI-related initiatives, solidifying his role as a pivotal figure in modern AI history.

Intelligence Summary