Shane Legg
New Zealand AI researcher who co-founded DeepMind and popularised “AGI”
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- Thesis, Paper
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Shane Legg is a New Zealand machine-learning researcher who co-founded DeepMind with Demis Hassabis and Mustafa Suleyman. His doctoral work defined machine intelligence mathematically, and he helped popularise the term “artificial general intelligence”. He is chief AGI scientist at Google DeepMind.
Biography
Background
Legg studied mathematics and computer science at the University of Waikato and the University of Auckland, and worked at a start-up building AI systems.
Machine super intelligence
He earned his PhD at the Dalle Molle Institute in Switzerland under Marcus Hutter in 2008, with a thesis on “Machine Super Intelligence” and a formal definition of universal intelligence.
DeepMind
As a postdoctoral researcher at University College London’s Gatsby Unit, he met Demis Hassabis, and in 2010 they founded DeepMind with Mustafa Suleyman, aiming to build general AI.
AGI safety
Legg has long argued that human-level AI could arrive around the late 2020s and that safety research is essential. He is chief AGI scientist at Google DeepMind.
Timeline
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2007
Universal intelligence definition with Marcus Hutter
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2008
PhD
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2010
Co-founds DeepMind
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2014
Google buys DeepMind
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2023
Google DeepMind formed
Notable works
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2008
Machine Super Intelligence Thesis
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2007
Universal Intelligence: A Definition of Machine Intelligence Paper
With Marcus Hutter.
Did you know?
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1
He has predicted a 50 per cent chance of AGI by 2028.
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2
He is credited with popularising the term AGI with Ben Goertzel.
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3
He studied under Marcus Hutter, creator of the AIXI theory.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Shane Legg?
Shane Legg is a New Zealand machine-learning researcher who co-founded DeepMind with Demis Hassabis and Mustafa Suleyman. His doctoral work defined machine intelligence mathematically, and he helped popularise the term “artificial general intelligence”. He is chief AGI scientist at Google DeepMind.
Where is Shane Legg from?
Shane Legg was born in New Zealand.
What is Shane Legg known for?
Shane Legg is best known for Co-founding DeepMind (2010); definition of machine intelligence; chief AGI scientist at Google DeepMind.
References
- Shane Legg — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Shane Legg (Q22278829) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Shane Legg”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Shane Legg.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/shane-legg
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