As Google enters 2025, CEO Sundar Pichai has described the year as "critical" to the company's future.
During a recent strategy conference, Pichai highlighted the importance of handling rising competition, regulatory concerns, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence.
Wearing cheerful holiday sweaters, Google executives set the tone for the new year by relentlessly focusing on developing AI to tackle real-world customer problems.
Google has faced a challenging 2024, marked by AI missteps, increased competition, and regulatory scrutiny. Pichai also emphasized the importance of staying focused during these turbulent times, saying, "We need to move quicker as a company... Scaling Gemini on the consumer side will be our primary emphasis next year."
Google's 2025 goal revolves around Gemini, its next-generation AI model and application. The Gemini app, released in 2024, has attracted users, including features like an advanced chatbot and multi-modal capabilities. Pichai expressed confidence in the company's growth but noted that much work was needed to secure market leadership.
The company aims for Gemini to join Google's list of applications with over half a billion monthly users. New AI features, including enhancements to Gemini's universal assistance skills and "Vision" tools, are due in early 2025.
This aligns with Google's approach to competing with rivals like OpenAI and Microsoft, which have gained popularity in AI with their novel technologies and significant investments.
Google's efforts to scale Gemini are also due to the growing influence of competitors like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Perplexity AI, which have curved out significant user bases. Additionally, regulatory concerns, such as investigations into Google's ad tech and search dominance, add to the company's hurdles.
Despite these restrictions, Pichai reminded employees to "stay scrappy" and see constraints as a source of innovation.
2025 is expected to be a turning point. Google's dedication to developing Gemini and launching Project Astra's upgraded capabilities demonstrates an evident focus on delivering cutting-edge AI solutions.
As Pichai stated, "You don't always need to be first, but you have to execute well."
By doubling down on Gemini's consumer reach, Google aims to define its AI leadership while navigating a complex and competitive landscape.