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Google Brain was an AI research team within Google Research; DeepMind was a separate AI research organization. In April 2023, Google brought the Brain team and DeepMind together as Google DeepMind. The names therefore describe predecessor teams and the combined organization—not two competing current Google labs.
What was Google Brain?
Google Brain was Google Research’s AI research team. It was one of the two groups named when Google announced the formation of Google DeepMind.
What was DeepMind?
DeepMind was the other AI research group in that combination. Google described the new unit as bringing together “two leading research groups in the AI field: the Brain team from Google Research, and DeepMind.” (Google’s April 20, 2023 announcement)
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What changed when Google Brain and DeepMind merged?
On April 20, 2023, Google announced Google DeepMind as a single unit combining the Brain team from Google Research with DeepMind. Google said the combined group would draw on the company’s computational resources to advance the development of capable AI systems safely and responsibly.
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That makes the distinction mainly historical and organizational: Google Brain was a predecessor team, while Google DeepMind is the organization formed by combining it with DeepMind.
How do Google DeepMind and Google Research differ now?
Google’s April 18, 2024 organizational update said teams focused on building models across Google Research and Google DeepMind would be consolidated in Google DeepMind. Google Research, meanwhile, would continue work in foundational and applied computer science, including computing systems, foundational machine learning and algorithms, and applied science and society. Google said the two organizations would continue collaborating. (Google’s 2024 update)
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So the 2023 combination did not mean Google Research disappeared. The distinction Google gave in 2024 was between Google DeepMind’s model-building teams and Google Research’s continuing broader research remit.
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Google called Gemini the first realization of the vision behind forming Google DeepMind. Its announcement also described using adversarial-testing techniques from Google Research in safety work around deployment. That makes Gemini an example of work associated with the combined organization and collaboration across teams—not evidence that the model belonged exclusively to either legacy group. (Google’s Gemini announcement, December 6, 2023)
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should you interpret the names?
- Google Brain: the AI team that was part of Google Research before the combination.
- DeepMind: the other predecessor organization named in Google’s announcement.
- Google DeepMind: the combined unit announced in April 2023.
- Google Research: an organization that continued after the combination, with a distinct research remit described in 2024.
Leadership titles can change. In a later official update, Google described Demis Hassabis as Chair of Google DeepMind and Chief Scientist of Alphabet, and Koray Kavukcuoglu as leading Google DeepMind while also serving as Google’s Chief AI Architect. Treat those titles as a snapshot, not permanent organizational facts. (Google’s leadership update)
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