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DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on AGI’s Future, OpenAI Rivalry, and What’s Next at MWC 2024

DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on AGI’s Future, OpenAI Rivalry, and What’s Next at MWC 2024

TechTarget and Informa Tech have joined forces to create a united Digital Business Combine, combining two industry-leading platforms into a single, powerful media and research ecosystem. This collaboration is designed to amplify reach, deepen expertise, and accelerate the flow of trusted information to technology professionals and decision-makers around the world. By pooling resources, editorial standards, and distribution networks, TechTarget and Informa Tech aim to deliver an unprecedented breadth of content, insights, and practical guidance that helps organizations navigate complex technology priorities, optimize investments, and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape.

The new Digital Business Combine operates as a comprehensive network that spans more than 220 online properties, covering more than 10,000 granular topics. This expansive footprint enables the collective to serve a global audience of more than 50 million professionals, who rely on original, objective content from trusted sources to inform critical business decisions. The platform’s mission is to empower readers to gain meaningful insights and to make more informed choices across a wide range of priorities—whether they are evaluating emerging technologies, selecting solutions, or benchmarking performance against industry standards. The result is a durable information-rich environment where practitioners can access in-depth analysis, practical guidance, and timely updates that support both day-to-day operations and longer-term strategic planning.

Section 1: Overview of the Digital Business Combine and Its Mission

Table of Contents

The strategic rationale behind the merger

The joining of TechTarget with Informa Tech’s Digital Business Combine represents a deliberate strategy to create a more capable, more coherent information ecosystem for technology professionals. By unifying editorial teams, research capabilities, events, and multimedia content, the combined entity can deliver more consistent guidance, reduce redundancy, and ensure that readers experience a seamless continuum of content—from news and analysis to data-driven research and decision-support resources. This alignment also streamlines partnerships, sponsorship opportunities, and programmatic initiatives, enabling advertisers, vendors, and end users to engage with a shared set of value propositions across multiple channels.

The underlying objective is to maintain a high standard of content integrity and credibility while expanding the breadth and depth of topics covered. Readers gain access to a diversified pool of original material produced by experts across disciplines, aligned around common editorial principles such as accuracy, transparency, and objectivity. In practice, this means fewer fragmented sources and more authoritative, cross-cutting coverage that reflects real-world technology adoption, implementation challenges, and strategic decision-making.

The scope and scale of the network

The Digital Business Combine now operates a massive portfolio of more than 220 online properties. This network architecture is designed to maximize reach without compromising quality, offering a rich tapestry of topic areas that span the entire technology spectrum—from foundational IT infrastructure to cutting-edge applications and emerging business models. With more than 10,000 granular topics, the platform can address highly specific domains—down to niche verticals and subtopics—while still providing a cohesive, navigable experience for readers seeking broader context.

The audience size is equally notable: more than 50 million professionals rely on the network for original content that informs their work. This scale provides advertisers and partners with substantial reach and the opportunity to target audiences with precision, drawing on the platform’s extensive taxonomy and topic coverage. The combination of depth (thousands of topics) and breadth (hundreds of properties) creates a unique environment where practitioners can compare perspectives, synthesize insights, and discover best practices that apply to their particular role, industry, or region.

Editorial integrity and trusted sourcing

A cornerstone of the Digital Business Combine is its commitment to original, objective content drawn from trusted sources. Readers expect reporting and analysis that illuminate the realities of technology implementation, market dynamics, and strategic tradeoffs without undue bias or promotional influence. Achieving this requires robust editorial standards, rigorous fact-checking, and careful sourcing practices to ensure that information is accurate, timely, and relevant to decision-makers.

The platform’s approach emphasizes independent journalism, practical guidance grounded in real-world experience, and data-driven insights wherever possible. By prioritizing credibility and clarity, the network helps readers distinguish signal from noise in a landscape crowded with opinion, hype, and conflicting claims. This trust factor is essential for sustaining long-term engagement and for building lasting relationships with technology professionals who rely on evidence-based perspectives to guide their investments.

Section 2: Reach, Topics, and Audience Engagement

Broad topic coverage and taxonomy

With more than 10,000 granular topics, the Digital Business Combine offers a highly articulated taxonomy that supports precise navigation, comparable content, and targeted discovery. This level of detail enables readers to drill into subjects at the depth they require—whether they are evaluating a new technology, monitoring regulatory developments, or benchmarking performance against peers. The breadth of topics also facilitates cross-cutting storytelling, where connections between seemingly disparate areas (for example, AI governance and data management) are explored to reveal broader implications for strategy, operations, and risk management.

The taxonomy is designed to evolve with the industry, incorporating emerging fields such as AI-enabled systems, intelligent automation, cloud-native architectures, cybersecurity resilience, and the convergence of IT and OT in industrial settings. As technology ecosystems mature, new themes are added to reflect changing practitioner needs, ensuring readers always have access to current, relevant material.

Audience scale and demographics

The network serves a global audience of more than 50 million technology professionals. This expansive reach creates opportunities for advertisers, event organizers, and content partners to engage with decision-makers at different career stages—from engineers and developers to CIOs, IT managers, and business executives responsible for technology strategies. The audience is diverse in terms of geography, industry sector, and technology focus, which necessitates a nuanced approach to content planning, audience segmentation, and channel optimization to maximize relevance and impact.

Readers come to the platform for a combination of news, analysis, practical how-to guidance, and data-backed research. They seek trustworthy information that can be acted upon in real-world projects, whether that involves selecting vendors, justifying ROI, or aligning technology initiatives with broader business objectives. The diverse audience footprint supports a wide range of formats and delivery modes, from long-form reports and white papers to quick-turn news briefings and interactive decision-support tools.

Formats and channels for engagement

The Digital Business Combine embraces a multi-format strategy to meet reader preferences and to optimize engagement across touchpoints. Content is delivered through traditional and digital properties, complemented by data-driven research, events, and multimedia formats. Specifically, readers can access news articles, in-depth analyses, expert columns, how-to guides, and case studies. In addition, the network publishes podcasts, webinars, ebooks, videos, and white papers—each designed to address different learning styles and information needs.

Events play a pivotal role in extending the reach of the content. Live and virtual events provide opportunities for real-time engagement, panel discussions, demonstrations, and direct interactions with technology experts. This event footprint also supports lead generation and relationship-building for vendors and partners seeking to connect with qualified audiences in their domain.

Section 3: Editorial Quality, Research Orientation, and Trust

Original content as a strategic differentiator

Original reporting and analysis are central to the Digital Business Combine’s value proposition. Rather than rehashing syndicated material, the platform emphasizes storytelling that combines factual reporting, expert insight, and practical implications. This approach enables readers to translate information into action—whether they are assessing a new technology’s potential, evaluating an implementation strategy, or formulating a procurement plan.

Original content is complemented by data-informed research and analysis that helps readers quantify risk, measure potential impact, and benchmark performance. By pairing narrative with evidence, the platform supports readers as they navigate complex decisions that affect budgets, timelines, and strategic outcomes.

Objective stance and credibility

The editorial framework prioritizes objectivity, striving to present multiple perspectives, disclose limitations, and avoid unsubstantiated claims. Readers expect balanced coverage that clearly separates fact from speculation and opinion. This commitment to objectivity strengthens the platform’s credibility as a trusted source for decision-makers who must weigh competing viewpoints and build evidence-based strategies.

The emphasis on credible sources—ranging from industry practitioners and analysts to researchers and vendors—helps readers understand not only what is happening but why it matters for their organizations. The result is a knowledge resource that supports critical thinking, scenario planning, and strategic prioritization in technology programs.

Quality controls and governance

To maintain consistency and reliability across a vast content network, the Digital Business Combine implements rigorous quality controls and governance mechanisms. Editorial guidelines address style, tone, sourcing, attribution, and accuracy, while dedicated editors oversee topic specialization to ensure depth and relevance. Fact-checking processes, data verification, and peer review where appropriate contribute to the reliability of the material published across the properties.

This governance framework is especially important given the breadth of coverage—from foundational IT topics to frontier AI research and industry-specific challenges. Readers can trust that the material aligns with professional standards and reflects current industry practices.

Section 4: Content Portfolio and Thematic Coverage

Core technology topics and domains

The combined platform delivers coverage across a broad spectrum of technology domains. Readers can find authoritative material on fundamental IT disciplines, emerging technologies, and the intersection of technology with business strategy. The portfolio includes content on data science, data analytics, data management, and synthetic data, as well as deep-dive explorations of machine learning, neural networks, predictive analytics, and related AI subfields. This breadth ensures that readers can develop a holistic understanding of how technology trends influence operational effectiveness, product development, and competitive positioning.

In addition to AI-focused material, the portfolio spans topics related to wearable technology, sensor networks, and real-world deployments. There is emphasis on practical applications—how technologies perform in real environments, what challenges organizations encounter during adoption, and what best practices have emerged from industry experience.

Generative AI, AI governance, and responsible AI

Generative AI, agent-centric AI, and responsible AI practices occupy a prominent position in the content mix. This includes coverage of foundational models, the design and deployment of AI systems, policy considerations, and governance frameworks that organisations need to implement. Practitioners seek guidance on risk management, explainability, data governance, and ethical considerations as they explore AI-driven solutions across sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, finance, and public sector operations.

The platform also explores the practical implications of AI for workflows, product design, and customer experiences. Case studies illustrate how organizations leverage AI to accelerate R&D, optimize processes, and unlock new value streams while maintaining safeguards to address bias, privacy, and regulatory compliance.

AI-enabled innovation and industry-specific case studies

Content highlights include discussions of AI in specialized contexts, such as AI-powered genome engineering for food security and AI-assisted drug discovery. These topics are explored through the lens of real-world impact, including milestones in research, collaborations between tech providers and the life sciences sector, and the potential to accelerate time-to-market for critical therapies and agricultural innovations. The coverage emphasizes that AI is not only a theoretical exercise but a practical tool with tangible outcomes in diverse industries.

Other notable themes include AI-driven digital twins, AI-powered simulations for engineering transformation, and the use of AI to support engineering and manufacturing modernization. These narratives illustrate how AI technologies are integrated into complex industrial ecosystems to improve productivity, reduce risk, and unlock new capabilities.

Section 5: Platforms, Formats, and Reader Experiences

Multichannel distribution and consumption patterns

The Digital Business Combine prioritizes accessibility and convenience for readers by delivering content through multiple formats and channels. The platforms host a blend of written articles, long-form reports, newsletters, podcasts, and videos, ensuring that readers can consume information in the mode that suits their preferences and schedules. This multichannel approach supports ongoing engagement, enabling professionals to stay informed whether they are at their desks, commuting, or on the move.

The inclusion of webinars and virtual events further extends the reach of content, enabling real-time interaction, Q&A with experts, and the opportunity to explore topics in depth with industry peers. The combination of on-demand content with live engagement creates a dynamic information ecosystem where knowledge is continually refreshed, and readers can derive practical value from every interaction.

The role of data-driven insights in content strategy

A data-informed approach guides editorial planning, topic prioritization, and audience targeting. By analyzing readership trends, engagement metrics, and feedback from practitioners, the platform can tailor coverage to address the most pressing questions and the most significant opportunities facing technology professionals. This approach helps ensure that content remains relevant, actionable, and timely, while also identifying emerging themes that warrant deeper exploration.

User experience and navigability

With thousands of topics and hundreds of properties, a clear, intuitive navigation structure is essential. The taxonomy is designed to enable efficient discovery, cross-referencing, and topic aggregation. Readers can quickly locate content that aligns with their role, industry, or area of interest, and they can move from news briefings to in-depth analysis without losing context. The layout supports readability on both desktop and mobile devices, with well-spaced sections, informative subheadings, and a balance of narrative content and digestible lists.

Section 6: Vertical Coverage and Industry Focus

Industrials, manufacturing, and the engineering value chain

The platform’s coverage spans key industrial sectors, including manufacturing, engineering transformation, and industrial operations. Readers find material that analyzes how digital technologies—automation, AI, data analytics, and simulation—are reshaping design, optimization, and production workflows. Case studies illustrate how organizations implement new capabilities to improve efficiency, safety, and quality, while strategic discussions explore how to navigate the capital planning, procurement, and talent implications of large-scale digital programs.

In manufacturing contexts, AI-powered simulations and digital twins are presented as enabling tools for testing process changes, forecasting maintenance needs, and accelerating product development cycles. The content also probes the intersection of AI with supply chain resilience, workforce skills development, and the ongoing modernization of factories and logistics networks.

IT, cybersecurity, cloud, and edge computing

A substantial portion of the portfolio focuses on IT infrastructure, cloud strategies, cybersecurity, and edge computing. Readers gain guidance on selecting cloud architectures, optimizing data storage, and safeguarding systems against evolving threats. The coverage extends to secure deployment patterns, governance of multi-cloud environments, and best practices for integrating edge devices with centralized platforms. This emphasis on practical IT management helps organizations balance performance, cost, and risk in an era of rapid cloud adoption and distributed computing.

Metaverse, data centers, and emerging ecosystems

Topics related to the metaverse, data center efficiency, and new digital ecosystems are explored to help professionals understand the next wave of technology-enabled experiences and the underlying infrastructure requirements. This includes discussions of capacity planning, energy efficiency, and the role of data centers in enabling latency-sensitive applications, as well as the broader implications for enterprise technology strategies and digital transformation programs.

Health care, finance, and energy

The platform also addresses vertical-specific needs, including health care, finance, and energy. For health care, coverage spans AI-enabled diagnostics, regulatory considerations, patient privacy, and the responsible deployment of digital health tools. In finance, content covers financial technology trends, risk management, data governance, and compliance implications. In energy, readers find material on digitalization, sensor networks, predictive maintenance, and optimization strategies that support more sustainable and reliable energy systems.

Cross-cutting topics and governance themes

Across all verticals, cross-cutting themes such as data governance, explainable AI, policy development, and responsible AI practices are emphasized. These topics connect domain-specific discussions to broader governance considerations, helping readers understand how organizational policies, regulatory expectations, and ethical considerations shape technology adoption and risk management.

Section 7: AI Leadership, Industry Insights, and Real-World Impacts

Deep dives into AGI, AI strategy, and the human context

A substantial portion of the AI coverage engages with conversations about the future of artificial intelligence, including questions about the trajectory toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), and what that might mean for industry, society, and policy. Industry leaders and researchers discuss the pace of progress, the role of computation, and the importance of balancing rapid innovation with safeguards and governance. This coverage emphasizes the distinction between incremental improvements in current systems and the broader aspiration of creating AI with general cognitive capabilities.

For example, high-profile discussions explore whether AGI will emerge gradually as capabilities scale, rather than through a single transformative breakthrough. Analysts and practitioners debate how to assess progress, including the design of robust evaluation frameworks that can measure generalization across a wide array of tasks. The conversations acknowledge the complexity of defining and detecting true general intelligence, while highlighting the practical implications for product development, risk management, and policy.

The practical use of AI systems today

Alongside theoretical debates, the platform frequently showcases how AI systems are already providing tangible value in diverse settings. Generative AI, language models, and AI-powered assistance are presented not merely as novelty, but as tools that can augment human capabilities in research, design, and operations. The coverage includes attention to real-world applications, user experiences, and the kinds of trade-offs that organizations need to consider when adopting AI technologies, such as accuracy, reliability, and interpretability.

Case studies and real-world impact

Concrete examples illustrate how AI innovations translate into measurable outcomes. For instance, AI-driven approaches to drug discovery, genome engineering, and advanced manufacturing are highlighted to show the potential to accelerate development timelines, improve yields, and reduce costs. These stories connect abstract technology concepts with practical business results, helping executives and practitioners understand what successful AI deployments look like in their domains.

The evolving role of AI in research and industry collaboration

The coverage also explores how AI is reshaping research ecosystems, including collaborations between tech companies, academia, and industry partners. Examples highlight how AI tools enable new kinds of inquiry, accelerate hypothesis testing, and support discovery in life sciences, materials science, and beyond. This emphasis on collaboration underscores the broader ecosystem needed to translate AI breakthroughs into scalable, real-world solutions.

Section 8: Research, Partnerships, and the Question of Research Arm Synergy

The Omdia integration and research depth

Omdia serves as a key research arm within the combined Digital Business Combine, contributing data-driven analysis, market intelligence, and technology insights that enhance the depth of coverage. The integration of Omdia’s research capabilities complements the platform’s editorial content, providing readers with rigorous analyses, market trends, and strategic guidance grounded in empirical data. This synergy enables practitioners to not only read about trends but also to quantify potential impacts and inform strategic planning with evidence-based inputs.

The collaboration between editorial content and research outputs creates a robust decision-support ecosystem. Readers can access a continuum that spans news, analysis, and research reports, all calibrated to support different decision-making needs—from tactical buy/renew decisions to long-range technology roadmaps. The research depth helps organizations benchmark performance, forecast market trajectories, and identify opportunities for innovation and efficiency improvements.

Tools, data, and practical decision-support

Beyond narrative content, the platform emphasizes decision-support tools and data-driven resources that empower readers to apply insights in practical contexts. This includes access to datasets, frameworks, and methodological approaches that readers can adapt to their own environments. By offering these pragmatic resources alongside thought leadership and trend analysis, the Digital Business Combine helps technology leaders translate information into concrete actions—such as business cases, procurement criteria, implementation roadmaps, and governance policies.

The role of events and community in knowledge sharing

Events remain a central component of the ecosystem, providing a live environment where practitioners can engage with experts, test ideas, and network with peers. These events support knowledge sharing, professional development, and the exchange of best practices across industries and regions. The community aspect reinforces learning and enables attendees to bring back practical lessons to their organizations, thereby amplifying the impact of the editorial and research content.

Section 9: Future Outlook, Trends, and Strategic Positioning

AI, data governance, and enterprise readiness

Looking ahead, the Digital Business Combine frames AI and data governance as core pillars of enterprise readiness. As organizations scale AI initiatives and rely more on data-driven decision-making, governance frameworks—covering data quality, privacy, bias mitigation, explainability, and risk assessment—become essential. The platform’s content strategy supports readers in developing policies and architectures that promote responsible AI use while enabling innovation and competitive differentiation.

Generative AI, agents, and the next wave of productivity

The coverage emphasizes the practical adoption of generative AI, agents, and automation across business processes. Readers encounter discussions about integrating AI into workflows, building governance around automated decision-making, and evaluating the business value of AI-enabled capabilities. By presenting real-world examples and forward-looking perspectives, the platform helps organizations plan for productivity gains, cost optimization, and more agile operations.

Innovation frontiers: material science, weather, and climate modeling

Beyond traditional IT contexts, the platform explores AI applications in materials science, weather prediction, climate research, and related scientific domains. These explorations illustrate how AI can accelerate discovery, improve predictive models, and contribute to societal objectives such as resilience and sustainable development. The content frames these frontiers within the broader technology landscape, showing how breakthroughs in one field can influence capabilities in others.

The evolution of user experiences and device form factors

There is ongoing discussion about how AI will shape the way users interact with technology. While smartphones have embedded AI features and generative capabilities, the industry is also considering new form factors—such as wearable devices, augmented reality interfaces, and context-aware systems—that enable AI to perceive and respond to user environments more effectively. The conversations reflect a balanced view: while current devices offer powerful capabilities, the next generation of interfaces may require different designs, contexts, and support tools to enhance daily productivity.

Industry leadership commentary and the movement of research into practice

The platform features ongoing dialogues with industry leaders about how research translates into product development, market strategy, and policy considerations. These conversations reveal the challenges and opportunities that arise when researchers, engineers, product teams, and executives collaborate to bring innovations from lab benches to real-world deployments. By summarizing lessons learned, the content helps readers anticipate barriers and plan more resilient, scalable initiatives.

Section 10: Practical Implications for Readers and Partners

For technology professionals seeking guidance

For practitioners, the Digital Business Combine offers a reliable compass for navigating the technology landscape. The content helps readers understand how emerging trends align with organizational goals, what success looks like in complex deployments, and how to structure governance and risk management around new technologies. The practical emphasis underscores the value of content that translates high-level concepts into actionable steps.

For vendors, sponsors, and partners

For vendors and partners, the platform provides opportunities to engage with a highly targeted audience across multiple channels. The breadth of topics and the density of properties create a fertile environment for showcasing expertise, sharing case studies, delivering thought leadership, and participating in events that generate high-quality leads and meaningful conversations with decision-makers. The combination’s editorial integrity helps ensure that engagement remains credible and respectful of readers’ need for trustworthy information.

For researchers and academics

The research arm and editorial collaboration offer a bridge between academic insights and industry practice. Researchers can gain visibility for their work, connect with practitioners who can apply their findings, and identify industry-relevant questions that help align research agendas with real-world challenges. This synergy supports the translation of theory into impactful applications.

Conclusion
The unification of TechTarget and Informa Tech’s Digital Business Combine represents a strategic consolidation of strengths, creating a unified platform that combines depth, breadth, and credibility across the technology landscape. With more than 220 online properties and over 10,000 granular topics, the network reaches a vast global audience of professionals, delivering original, objective content that informs critical decisions and supports measurable business outcomes. The collaboration emphasizes editorial integrity, data-informed insights, and a multi-format, multichannel approach that enhances reader engagement and practical learning.

Readers benefit from a comprehensive content portfolio that spans core IT disciplines, AI and machine learning, data governance, and industry verticals such as manufacturing, healthcare, finance, energy, and beyond. The integration with Omdia’s research capabilities adds a rigorous, data-driven dimension to analysis, providing practitioners with robust benchmarks, market intelligence, and strategic guidance. By combining news, analysis, research, and events under a single umbrella, the Digital Business Combine positions itself as a premier resource for technology decision-makers seeking credible guidance, actionable insights, and trusted perspectives in a fast-changing technology environment. The ongoing focus on responsible AI, governance, and practical deployment strategies ensures that readers can navigate future advancements with confidence, clarity, and strategic foresight.

This comprehensive, forward-looking approach—anchored in credibility, coverage breadth, and actionable intelligence—aims to support technology professionals as they plan, prioritize, and execute technology initiatives that drive business value in an increasingly digital world. The platform invites readers to engage with a holistic information ecosystem that not only reports on what is happening but also helps organizations chart a path toward sustainable, impactful innovation.