Google’s Chief Scientist Jeff Dean is leaving the company after decades in its AI leadership team to found a new startup, Discovery Loop, according to multiple reports. Wired and The Wall Street Journal both say Dean and several other long-time Google scientists will launch the venture, with a focus on using AI automation to accelerate scientific and engineering breakthroughs.
Both sources describe Discovery Loop as an AI-driven research effort aimed at tackling problems in areas including drug discovery and chip or semiconductor design. The companies’ early concept, as reported, is to apply automated systems that can generate and evaluate research ideas more quickly than traditional lab workflows.
The Wall Street Journal adds that three other veteran Google researchers are expected to join Dean in the new company. Wired similarly frames the move as the departure of Google’s “top AI brains” to pursue AI-powered breakthroughs across multiple industries, rather than a single application.
The reports do not detail funding amounts, timelines, or partnerships at this stage.
