Google DeepMind has hired Henry Shevlin for a role focused on machine consciousness, human-AI relationships, and readiness for artificial general intelligence (AGI).
Shevlin announced the move on X, stating, “I’ve been recruited by Google DeepMind for a new Philosopher position… focusing on machine consciousness, human-AI relationships, and AGI readiness.”
The role will begin in May. Shevlin said he will continue his research and teaching at the University of Cambridge on a part-time basis.
Google DeepMind is an AI research lab owned by Alphabet, working on models such as AlphaGo and Gemini. It recently launched Gemma 4, a set of open-source models.
Shevlin is Associate Director at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence and works on philosophy of mind and AI ethics.
The hiring follows similar moves across the sector. Anthropic has also recruited philosophers, including Amanda Askell, to work on alignment and safety.
The move comes at a time when fast progress in AI is prompting questions about risks, governance, and how people will work with these systems.
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