Google DeepMind Creates First AI Philosopher Role, Hires Cambridge Scholar Henry Shevlin to Study Machine Consciousness

Google DeepMind, formed through the 2023 merger of UK-based DeepMind and Google Brain, leads frontier AI research including Gemini. As model capabilities advance toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), questions about whether machines are conscious, what moral treatment they warrant and how humans should interact with them have moved beyond academic debate into product governance and risk management.

Google DeepMind announced in April 2026 that it had created its first dedicated AI “Philosopher” position, appointing Henry Shevlin, associate director of the University of Cambridge’s Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence. Shevlin is due to start in May and will focus on machine consciousness, human-machine relationships and AGI preparedness. He will continue part-time research and teaching at Cambridge. His salary and contract value were not disclosed.