New Delhi, Jan. 4 -- When Emrick Donadei first joined Google, artificial intelligence was not part of his role. Like many engineers at the company a few years ago, his work had nothing to do with large language models or AI safety.

"I wasn't qualified for an AI role," Donadei, now 32 and based in New York, told Business Insider. "I didn't have the right credentials, and when I spoke with other teams, I felt a disconnect."

Today, he works as a software engineer on Google's AI safety team - a role he did not enter through a formal AI degree or promotion.

Donadei says the shift began when ChatGPT's launch pushed Google to move faster on large language models. As the company opened internal pathways for engineers to change teams, he became...