I see two possible explanations to this patent : - Google is rather open about deep learning development, they want to protect the ecosystem from patent trolls

I see two possible explanations to this patent : - Google is rather open about deep learning development, they want to protect the ecosystem from patent trolls. It is a defensive patent to eventually punish unfair players who don't want to play the collaborative game - Google noticed OpenAI, which (legally) built stuff using some Google's findings in the field. Now OpenAI is aiming at becoming a multi-billion dollars successful "non-profit" company, and Google wants its share of the money if it happens.