The people who were most afraid of the risks of artificial intelligence decided they should be the ones to build it. Then distrust fueled a spiraling competition.
A rival chatbot has shaken Google out of its routine, with the founders who left three years ago re-engaging and more than 20 A.I. projects in the works.
The researchers are considered a key to the company’s future. But they have had a hard time shaking infighting and controversy over a variety of issues.