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August 10, 2026

DeepMind shakeup tests UK’s AI ambitions

Google’s AI reshuffle could weaken a key pillar of Britain’s startup ecosystem, experts say — but it may be a gift for the country’s talent-hungry neolabs


DeepMind cofounder Demis Hassabis has historically tried to keep his company in London. Credit: DeepMind, Unsplash

For more than a decade, DeepMind has underpinned the UK’s claim to be the most important AI ecosystem outside of the US and China. Now that position looks a little less secure.

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Maya Dharampal-Hornby

Maya Dharampal-Hornby is a reporter, covering UK tech for Sifted, based in London. She's also the producer of Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast .

Martin Coulter

Martin Coulter is Sifted's news editor, based in London. You can follow him on LinkedIn and X

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