Google Consolidates AI Efforts: Merges Gemini Team with DeepMind

Google Merges Gemini Team with DeepMind to Streamline AI Efforts

This move aims to accelerate the pace of AI innovation and improve the company's competitive edge in the field Alphabet's Google has announced that its Gemini AI team will be integrated into DeepMind, continuing its effort to consolidate various AI research and development groups. This move as outlined by CEO Sundar Pichai in a blog post, aims to accelerate the pace of AI innovation and improve the company's competitive edge in the field. Google has faced increasing pressure from Microsoft, OpenAI, and other emerging AI players, and this consolidation reflects the company's strategy to maintain its dominance in the AI space while adapting to the rapidly evolving market. Pichai noted that streamlining these teams would help Google continue its AI development more efficiently. The reorganization also comes as Prabhakar Raghavan, Google's most senior leader in the search and ads divisions, steps down from his role after four years. Raghavan, who led Google's flagship businesses, will assume a new position as the company's chief technologist, further focusing on its technological advancements. Nick Fox, a Google executive who served as Raghavan's deputy, will take over leadership of Google's search, ads, maps and shopping services. The restructuring of Google's AI efforts is part of a larger strategy to keep pace with competitors in the race for AI innovation. While Google has long held a dominant position as the world's leading search engine, the company has recently faced criticism for lagging behind competitors like Microsoft and OpenAI in the development of generative AI tools and services. To stay competitive, Google has been rapidly reorganizing its AI teams and streamlining processes, including an earlier merge of its Google Brain unit with DeepMind, signaling a more focused approach to AI research and product development. Deep Mind, which was established in London in the year 2010 and later Google purchased it in 2014 the company was considerably research oriented but the orientation has become increasingly focused on products. The Gemini team's incorporation into Deep Mind is also a development in that goal as Google is trying to keep up with AI opponents such as OpenAI and Anthropic. On the other hand, the restructuring process of the Google organization has its own problems too. The company has been the focus of many antitrust enforcement actions since federal authorities have come out saying the company enjoys monopoly over online ads and search engines. Google just lost an important court case which was brought against it by the US Department of Justice and along with other controversies expected, it now has the challenge of pursuing AI technology while guarding the company against regulatory pressure. With the efforts of in the field of AI becoming more and more central, the absorption of Gemini into DeepMind indicates the company's endorsement of the need to pursue AI advancements while consolidating its enormous and complex operations in order to remain competitive in the industry which is changing so quickly.

Google Adds Gemini Team to DeepMind in AI Streamlining Push

Google has been working on consolidating AI teams since six months Alphabet's Google is moving the team behind its Gemini AI assistant app to its DeepMind research lab, continuing a plan to consolidate the company's various groups working on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The search giant is simplifying its structure to "keep increasing the pace of progress" of AI development, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said in a blog post on Thursday. He also announced that Prabhakar Raghavan, the most senior leader of Google's search and ads units, is leaving the role after four years helming the company's flagship businesses. Raghavan will step into a new role as Google's chief technologist, Pichai said. Nick Fox, a veteran Google executive who acted as a search deputy under Raghavan, will step into the role leading the company's search, ads, maps and shopping services. Long the dominant search engine globally, Google has battled the perception for the last two years that it's lagged behind the likes of Microsoft, OpenAI and other startups in rolling out new generative AI tools and services. Yet, as it works to stay competitive with new entrants upending search, it must also take care not to cannibalise its core profit machine. In his announcement, Pichai framed the reorganisation as a way to streamline the company's progress in AI. Over the last six months, Google has been consolidating its AI-focused teams, seeking to improve the Gemini models to challenge the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic. In April, the firm moved its models, research and responsible AI teams to the DeepMind division. Soon after, it merged DeepMind with Google Brain, a rival research unit within the company. DeepMind was founded in London in 2010 as an academic-style research lab, then acquired by Google in 2014. Executives say the lab has recently shifted away from its original mission and become more product-driven. Both inside and outside Google, "so many of the leading research labs are actually product companies at this point," said Eli Collins, DeepMind's vice president of product, in an interview with Bloomberg News last month. He said DeepMind has had to "pick up the pace" to keep up with the rate of AI innovation. Google has also been challenged by mounting antitrust scrutiny from federal officials. In August, Google lost a trial over claims by the US Justice Department that the company illegally monopolises online search and advertising markets. In September, a trial covering the company's alleged dominance over the technology used to buy and sell online ads concluded, with closing arguments scheduled for November. A decision in that case is expected by the end of the year. © 2024 Bloomberg LP

Google Adds Gemini Team to DeepMind, Continuing AI Consolidation

(Bloomberg) -- Alphabet Inc.'s Google is moving the team behind its Gemini AI assistant app to its DeepMind research lab, continuing a plan to consolidate the company's various groups working on artificial intelligence. The search giant is simplifying its structures to "keep increasing the pace of progress" of AI development, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said in a blog post on Thursday. He also announced that Prabhakar Raghavan, a longtime leader of core products like Gmail and Drive, will become the company's chief technologist. Over the last six months, Google has been consolidating its AI-focused teams, seeking to improve the Gemini models to challenge the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic. In April, the firm moved its models, research and responsible AI teams to the DeepMind division. Soon after, it merged DeepMind with Google Brain, a rival research unit within the company.

Google Adds Gemini Team to DeepMind, Continuing AI Consolidation

Alphabet Inc.'s Google is moving the team behind its Gemini AI assistant app to its DeepMind research lab, continuing a plan to consolidate the company's various groups working on artificial intelligence. The search giant is simplifying its structures to "keep increasing the pace of progress" of AI development, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said in a blog post on Thursday. He also announced that Prabhakar Raghavan, a longtime leader of core products like Gmail and Drive, will become the company's chief technologist.

Google shifts Gemini app team to DeepMind

Oct 17 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab said on Thursday it will move the team behind the Gemini app to its artificial intelligence research lab DeepMind as the search giant looks to streamline its structure and better position itself in the generative AI race. The shift "will improve feedback loops, enable fast deployment of our new models in the Gemini app," CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blog post. Gemini is Google's most advanced AI technology, developed by DeepMind. The Gemini app is the direct consumer interface to the latest Gemini models. Advertisement · Scroll to continue The Gemini app team, led by Sissie Hsiao, will join Google DeepMind under the leadership of its CEO Demis Hassabis. Google also announced that Prabhakar Raghavan, who has led the company's products including search, ads and commerce will become chief technologist and work closely with Pichai. Raghavan's role as lead of the Knowledge and Information team will be taken up by Nick Fox, who has closely worked with Google on its AI product roadmap. Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Google shifts Gemini app team to DeepMind

(Reuters) - Alphabet's Google said on Thursday it will move the team behind the Gemini app to its artificial intelligence research lab DeepMind as the search giant looks to streamline its structure and better position itself in the generative AI race. The shift "will improve feedback loops, enable fast deployment of our new models in the Gemini app," CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blog post. Gemini is Google's most advanced AI technology, developed by DeepMind. The Gemini app is the direct consumer interface to the latest Gemini models. The Gemini app team, led by Sissie Hsiao, will join Google DeepMind under the leadership of its CEO Demis Hassabis. Google also announced that Prabhakar Raghavan, who has led the company's products including search, ads and commerce will become chief technologist and work closely with Pichai. Raghavan's role as lead of the Knowledge and Information team will be taken up by Nick Fox, who has closely worked with Google on its AI product roadmap. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)

Google announces big reorg: Gemini app team moves to DeepMind, Assistant now part of Pixel/Android

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a big reorganization across Gemini, Assistant, and Search. Previously, the Gemini app team was part of Google's Knowledge & Information division that includes Search, Ads, Geo (Maps), and Commerce. They are now being moved into the Google DeepMind organization formed last year. Pichai says "bringing the teams closer together will improve feedback loops, enable fast deployment of our new models in the Gemini app, make our post-training work proceed more efficiently and build on our great product momentum." Meanwhile, instead of being part of (close to) the Gemini team, "Assistant teams focused on devices and home experiences will move to Platforms & Devices," or the Pixel and Android division. This means Assistant teams "can sit closer to the product surfaces they're building for and bring our AI-powered home initiatives into one team and focus on improving user experience." Additionally, Google Search chief Prabhakar Raghavan is leaving that senior vice president role and will "return to his computer science roots and take on the role of Chief Technologist, Google." Prabhakar's leadership journey at Google has been remarkable, spanning Research, Workspace, Ads, and K&I. He led the Gmail team in launching Smart Reply and Smart Compose as early examples of using AI to improve products, and took Gmail and Drive past 1 billion users. Across K&I, Prabhakar and team have achieved significant growth and innovation: from launching AI Overviews, a groundbreaking advancement in Search that benefits hundreds of millions of users worldwide to introducing new search modalities like Circle to Search, video understanding, and "shop what you see" in Lens -- all while improving core Search functionality. Maps and Shopping have transformed with AI-driven features like immersive view and virtual try-on. And in Ads, we've made real progress with AI-powered ad formats and streamlined campaign management, while continuing to innovate with Performance Max to empower millions of businesses. Knowledge & Information will now be led by longtime Googler Nick Fox, who previously led Assistant and is now an SVP.

The gap between Google's Gemini and Assistant teams just got a whole lot wider

The Wild West days of sideloading on Android are officially over in this week's news Key Takeaways Google reorganized the Gemini & Assistant teams for better efficiency, proving that the two services will not merge. The reorganization was announced in a blog post by CEO Sundar Pichai to Google employees. Gemini will merge with the DeepMind division, while Assistant will fall under the Platforms & Devices division. It's the third shakeup at Google in 2024. This time it's the turn of the Gemini and Google Assistant teams to get shuffled around as the company aims for maximum efficiency. It also answers a question many have had for over a year: what happens with Google Assistant now that Gemini is here? Related Google Gemini tips and tricks: Put Google's most capable AI model to good use Not sure what's up with Gemini? Here are the goods Google CEO Sundar Pichai outlined the changes to employees in a blog post on Google's The Keyword. He highlighted the need to keep the pace of progress in the rapidly evolving field of AI. The reorganization will see the Gemini app team, responsible for the consumer-facing side of Google's latest AI, merge with the Google DeepMind team. The Assistant team will join the Platforms & Devices division, that oversees Pixel and Nest products. We've seen this kind of thing before Google has been on a reorganizing bender over the past few months. Google's Research and Bard teams merged to create the 'DeepMind' division under Demis Hassabis back in March. Google's former AI head, Jeff Dean, became the company's chief scientist. Then, in April, Google merged its Android and Pixel teams under Rick Osterloh, sending shockwaves through the industry. Many wondered if this represented an unfair disadvantage for third-party OEMs that rely on Android. After all, the Pixel is a direct competitor to other Android phones. Meanwhile, Nick Fox will take over as the head of the Knowledge & Information division, the bread and butter of Google's business. This is the division that oversees Search, Ads, Geo (including Maps), and Commerce. Pichai expressed his confidence in Fox's ability to lead the team in his new role, and cited his deep understanding of Google's products. So what's the deal with Assistant, anyway? But the main question we've been asking has been answered. Assistant will not be merging with Gemini. This move makes that obvious. It does not seem as if Gemini will be replacing Assistant on home devices, either. At least, not for now. Instead, we're stuck with two different bots that do different things. Gemini, a multi-modal LLM that can answer questions and help with homework and search the internet and create photos, and Assistant, which can set calendar appointments and turn off lights. Google has made it clear that Assistant is simply smart home software, and Gemini is the future of the company.

Behind the scenes: How AI is reshaping Google

The Assistant teams are now part of the Platform and Devices department. Google already pushes out AI products at a breakneck pace, but it appears that's still not fast enough for the company. To further speed up its AI development, the tech giant has decided to reshuffle some of its departments. In a blog post, CEO of Google Sundar Pichai announced that the company will be streamlining its AI initiatives by moving around some of its parts. This first part of this change will include the Gemini app and Google DeepMind teams. Specifically, the Gemini app team is getting absorbed by DeepMind.