.png){kind=logo}
Google co-founder Sergey Brin urged DeepMind employees to accelerate their work on Gemini and close the gap with rivals such as OpenAI and Anthropic, according to reports. Brin, who no longer holds an executive position at Google, remained closely involved in the company’s artificial intelligence strategy.
The message came at a significant moment for Google DeepMind. The company recently underwent a leadership overhaul in which co-founder Demis Hassabis stepped down as CEO and moved into a chairman role, while his deputy, Koray Kavukcuoglu, took over day-to-day leadership. Hassabis also became Alphabet’s chief scientist.
Brin has reportedly been pressing DeepMind teams for several months to move faster on Gemini. In April, he addressed hundreds of employees at a town hall and stressed the need to narrow the gap with competing AI companies.
The urgency came after Google's Gemini briefly moved ahead of competitors in performance last year but subsequently faced stronger competition from OpenAI and Anthropic. According to reports, Google's next flagship model was delayed after internal testing showed it was still behind rivals in coding capabilities.
For Google, the delays are particularly important as the company tries to strengthen Gemini across products ranging from search to cloud services and enterprise applications.
DeepMind Undergoing Major Changes
The leadership change also raised questions about the future structure of DeepMind. Several non-technical teams are being moved into Google's broader corporate reporting structure, reducing some of the research unit's previous independence.
Kavukcuoglu, who is now responsible for DeepMind's daily operations and Gemini development, has been working from Google's Mountain View campus. The restructuring reflects Google's effort to bring its AI operations closer together as competition in the sector intensifies.
Also Read: Gemini Hits 1 Billion Users: Can Google AI Beat ChatGPT?
Brin is also reportedly encouraging work on self-improving AI systems, where models could become better at certain tasks with less direct human involvement. His involvement became more visible despite his lack of a formal executive role.
The latest developments underline Google's determination to regain momentum in the AI race. With Hassabis moving away from day-to-day leadership and Sergey Brin pushing for faster progress, Gemini's performance and release timeline will remain closely watched as Google attempts to keep pace with OpenAI and Anthropic.
