Google Announces Artificial Intelligence Group for Google Cloud

Alphabet's Google announced the formation of an artificial intelligence group for Google Cloud, the tech company's latest gambit to increase its market share in the lucrative cloud computing business.

Diane Greene, who leads Google's cloud business, announced the team at an event at the company's facilities in San Francisco. The group will be led by Fei-Fei Li, an artificial intelligence professor at Stanford University, and researcher Jia Li.

"What really attracted these two people to come and be in Google Cloud is a chance to democratize machine learning and artificial intelligence," Greene said.

In the meanwhile, Google delivered a vote of confidence in London's future as a technological hub after the Brexit vote on Tuesday by announcing plans for a new building in the King's Cross area of the city that will house thousands of extra engineers.

Google's Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said computer science had a great future in Britain, citing the talent pool, educational institutions, and passion for innovation present in the country.

"That's why we are investing in London in both engineering talent and infrastructure," he said.

The 10-storey building, Google's first wholly owned and designed outside the United States, will increase its presence in King's Cross to more than 1 million square feet, enough for more than 7,000 employees in total, the company said.

Google has 5,700 employees and contractors in the UK, including about 2,000 engineers housed in the recently opened building in King's Cross where Pichai announced the expansion.

© Thomson Reuters 2016