Inside the Google executive moves that led to its big AI reshuffle
Firm’s commercialisation strategy, reorganisation of ranks tied to its effort to achieve AI model supremacy
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has been urging AI staff to focus on the company's Gemini model as Alphabet seeks to outpace competitors, according to two people familiar with his remarks. In April, Brin addressed hundreds of employees in a town hall, urging Google DeepMind AI lab to move faster, said one of the sources. However, Google's Gemini model, which briefly overtook competitors last November, was delayed by two months in August after internal testing showed its performance lagging behind rivals in areas such as coding, according to two sources.
As a result, Google announced a major leadership overhaul of its Google DeepMind AI division on August 5, with CEO Demis Hassabis stepping aside in favor of his deputy, Koray Kavukcuoglu. Hassabis became chair, with fewer management obligations, while two original technical co-leads of Gemini quit to co-found a startup. The changes were tied to Alphabet's commercialization strategy and reorganization of ranks to achieve model supremacy.
The shake-up marks a further erosion of DeepMind's autonomy, which Google has been pursuing since buying the London-based lab in 2014. During an all-hands meeting on August 6, it was revealed that some teams were moving out of DeepMind and into corporate Google. Google's stock dropped 4% on the day of the announcement. Despite the shake-up, executives including Sundar Pichai remain committed to catching up in AI model supremacy, while reassuring staff that day-to-day work at the lab would remain the same.
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