Google DeepMind Fast-Tracks Gemini 4 Release as AI Race Intensifies
9 Sources
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Gemini 4 is almost ready, says new Google DeepMind chief
Google is reportedly nearing the launch of its long awaited Gemini 4 model, after dawdling behind rival developers on flagship AI releases. Speaking with The Information during his first media appearance as the leader of Google's DeepMind division, Koray Kavukcuoglu said that Gemini 4 is currently
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Google plans Gemini 4 release before year-end
if ( !emtpy($headline_subheadline ) ) : ?> But the long-promised Gemini 3.5 Pro is still nowhere to be seen. endif; ?> Google's Gemini 4 AI model is in the early days of post-training, the phase in which a base AI model is refined to behave reliably, and should be released "much earlier" than the
[3]
Google says Gemini 4 release is coming 'as soon as possible'
As its rivals continue to iterate quickly, Google has confirmed that its Gemini 4 flagship AI model is nearing release and that it is coming "as soon as possible." Google DeepMind chief Koray Kavukcuoglu confirmed to The Information at the publication's AI Agenda Live Summit this week that its
[4]
DeepMind says Gemini 4 is coming much earlier than expected
Google DeepMind chief Koray Kavukcuoglu said Gemini 4 has entered the early stages of post-training, putting Google closer to releasing its next flagship AI model. Kavukcuoglu said at The Information's AI Agenda Live Summit on Wednesday that Gemini 4 is expected to launch "much earlier" than the
[5]
Google may be secretly testing Gemini 4 Pro
A model developers suspect is Google's next flagship AI system appeared on the Arena benchmarking platform under the name "gemini-3.8-flash." The model carries the internal codename Argon and has not been officially announced by Google, but leaked benchmark results shared by developers suggest it
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Google Confirms Gemini 4 Replaces Gemini 3.5 Pro Entirely
Google DeepMind's Gemini 4 Pro has officially entered the spotlight, surpassing competitors like Opus 5.5 and GPT6 Astra in key performance areas. Powered by the advanced "Barium B" checkpoint, this October 2026 release showcases exceptional capabilities in 3D rendering and software engineering,
[7]
Google's Gemini 4 Could Launch 'Much Earlier' Than Year-End, Says DeepMind Exec as AI Battle With OpenAI,
Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Google's latest artificial intelligence (AI) model, Gemini 4, is approaching its launch, as the tech giant competes with Anthropic, OpenAI, and Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) in the AI race. At The Information's AI Agenda Live Summit on Wednesday,
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Google Preps Gemini 4 Pro Content Creation for October 2026
Google DeepMind is preparing for the October 2026 release of Gemini 4 Pro, an AI model aimed at advancing content creation and interactive applications. According to Universe of AI, the model introduces capabilities such as SVG generation, 3D modeling, and interactive simulations, making it
[9]
Google nears release of Gemini 4 AI model, DeepMind head tells The Information By Investing.com
Investing.com -- Google is approaching the launch of its newest flagship artificial intelligence model, Gemini 4, the head of its DeepMind division, Koray Kavukcuoglu, said at The Information's AI Agenda Live Summit. The development comes as the tech company races to catch up with competitors
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Google DeepMind chief Koray Kavukcuoglu confirmed Gemini 4 has entered post-training refinement and will launch much earlier than expected. The announcement comes as Google faces mounting pressure from OpenAI and Anthropic, who've released superior models while Google's promised Gemini 3.5 Pro remains unreleased.
Google DeepMind Accelerates Gemini 4 Timeline
Google DeepMind is racing to release its next flagship AI model, Gemini 4, with new leadership confirming the system has entered critical post-training refinement stages. Speaking at The Information's AI Agenda Live Summit, Koray Kavukcuoglu, who recently replaced founder Demis Hassabis as Google DeepMind chief, revealed the company plans to launch Gemini 4 "much earlier" than the end of 2026
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. Industry observers speculate this could mean an October release2
."Our intention is to, like -- as soon as possible -- to release an early post-training output because we see the results and we are excited," Kavukcuoglu stated, adding that Google would "continue the fast-paced iterations" following the initial launch
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. The post-training phase involves refining the base model through human feedback, reinforcement learning, and specialized data to improve reasoning, safety testing, and reliability4
. Internal testing is already underway, with Gemini 4 powering Google's Antigravity platform3
.Growing Pressure from Rival AI Developers
The urgency behind the Gemini 4 release stems from intensifying competition in Google's AI development landscape. Google hasn't released a new flagship model since the Gemini 3 series in November 2025, creating a significant gap that rivals have exploited
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. OpenAI launched GPT-6 Astra on September 3, while Anthropic released Claude Fable 5.1 on September 1—both outperforming Gemini 3 and establishing a sizable lead1
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.Alphabet shares fell nearly 5% over two sessions as Meta Platforms gained momentum with its Muse AI agent during Meta's Connect event
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. When questioned about Google falling behind competitors, Kavukcuoglu maintained confidence: "In my mind, it's a certainty that we are always gonna be at the frontier"1
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Source: 9to5Google
The Mystery of Gemini 3.5 Pro's Cancellation
A major question surrounding Google's AI strategy involves the fate of Gemini 3.5 Pro. CEO Sundar Pichai announced at the May 2026 I/O event that a major Gemini 3.5 Pro update would arrive in June, but the model was never rolled out
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. Kavukcuoglu explained that Google "took a little bit of a step back" to focus on introducing faster, less powerful Flash models instead1
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.The Wall Street Journal reported that Gemini 3.5 Pro was scrapped because internal candidates "weren't sufficiently better than the Flash series"
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. Instead, Google released four successive Flash models since May, culminating in Gemini 3.8 Flash on September 25
. This week's conversation shed no light on whether Gemini 3.5 Pro will ever see release3
.Related Stories
Suspected Secret Testing on Benchmarking Platform
Intriguing evidence suggests Google may already be testing Gemini 4 capabilities. A model appeared on the Arena benchmarking platform under the name "gemini-3.8-flash" with the internal codename Argon, which developers suspect is actually Google's next flagship AI model
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. Leaked benchmark results showed it outperformed GPT-6 Astra and Claude Fable 5.1 in coding, reasoning, and agentic tasks5
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Source: Geeky Gadgets
The mysterious model scored 88% on DeepSWE v1.1 for AI-agent coding tasks, 95.3% on Terminal-bench 2.1 for encoding capability, and 86.8% on OSWorld-2.0 for computer proficiency
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. Developers reported it has a 10 million-token input limit and 256,000-token output limit with persistent cross-session memory5
. Reported pricing stood at $2.25 per million input tokens and $11.25 per million output tokens, making it cheaper than competing frontier models5
.Leadership Shakeup and Strategic Direction
Kavukcuoglu's comments marked his first public appearance since taking over DeepMind following the August departure of co-founder Demis Hassabis
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. Hassabis stepped down after announcing "great progress" was being made on Gemini 41
. The leadership shakeup appears designed to return Google to a more consistent AI release timeline with faster iterative updates1
.Google DeepMind announced on July 21 that it had begun "our most ambitious pre-training run yet, for Gemini 4," with CEO Sundar Pichai repeating that statement during the company's second-quarter earnings call
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. Jasjeet Sekhon, Google DeepMind's chief strategy officer, revealed at a Berkeley event that recursive self-improvement had become "a key component of the rationale behind massive AI investments," amid unverified claims that Gemini 4 pre-training benefited from an RSI closed loop5
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Source: InfoWorld
Google plans to release Gemini 4 in stages, starting with an early version and then iterating based on user feedback rather than waiting for a more polished launch
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. On the topic of AGI, Kavukcuoglu suggested the conversation has shifted: "the conversation is more about are we able to build intelligent agents that we can trust"3
. This iterative approach signals Google's determination to regain competitive ground while maintaining safety standards in an increasingly crowded AI landscape dominated by OpenAI and Anthropic innovations.References
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