Google has rehired AI pioneer Noam Shazeer, known for his work on LaMDA, in a significant move to bolster its AI efforts. Shazeer’s return comes with a $2.7 billion deal that sees Google license Character.AI’s technology and brings Shazeer to lead its Gemini project. This acquisition signifies Google’s aggressive push into the AI space, particularly with its Gemini project, which is expected to drive significant growth in the coming years.