David Silver (born 1976) is a principal research scientist at Google DeepMind and a professor at University College London.

[4] Silver returned to academia in 2004 at the University of Alberta to study for a PhD on reinforcement learning,[5] where he co-introduced the algorithms used in the first master-level 9×9 Go programs and graduated in 2009.

[8] After graduating from university, Silver co-founded the video games company Elixir Studios, where he was CTO and lead programmer, receiving several awards for technology and innovation.

[12] Silver led the AlphaGo project, culminating in the first program to defeat a top professional player in the full-size game of Go.

[13] AlphaGo subsequently received an honorary 9 Dan Professional Certification; and won the Cannes Lion award for innovation.