Sundar Pichai, Google's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), recently emphasized during an internal strategy meeting that the company would face several challenges next year and should focus on improving artificial intelligence (AI) technology and services.
According to U.S. local media CNBC, Pichai said during a meeting at Google's headquarters in California on the 18th, "2025 is going to be very important," and noted, "We all need to recognize the urgency of this moment and move more quickly at the company level."
He continued, "The risks are significant," and emphasized that "in 2025, we must concentrate relentlessly on leveraging the benefits of this technology and solving real users' problems."
CNBC interpreted that Pichai mentioned the threats posed by AI developers such as OpenAI to Google's core business in the online search market.
Google is in a precarious situation as the U.S. Department of Justice raised an antitrust lawsuit challenging Google's monopoly in the search market, suggesting the forced sale of Google's web browser, Chrome, as a remedy. Google is also facing legal action in Canada for monopolistic practices in the online advertising market and is under investigation in the UK for similar allegations.
Pichai emphasized during the meeting, "We are well aware that we are facing several investigations globally," and added, "This comes with the size and success of the company, so at this moment, we must not be shaken more than ever."
He specifically pointed out that building a "large and new business" related to the AI chatbot service Gemini is the top priority, stating, "In 2025, there are things we need to do to close the gap with the leader and secure a leading position."
After comparing Google's AI models with OpenAI's GPT, he said, "Historically, it hasn't always been necessary to be number one, but we must be the best in class as a single product."
Demis Hassabis, co-founder of Google DeepMind, who attended the meeting, said that the Gemini chatbot app is expected to "evolve tremendously over the next 1 to 2 years."
In response to a question from an employee about whether the service could be expanded without transitioning to a paid subscription model like other companies, Hassabis said, "I wouldn't definitively say that will never happen, but right now, there are no plans for a subscription model."