Prior to the vacation break, Google caused a significant stir by unveiling, in collaboration with Samsung. Despite this, any significant progress will likely be delayed until major announcements are forthcoming; Gemini is poised to take center stage in driving much of that development.
Google hosted a “2025 Technical Strategy Session” in mid-December, where CEO Sundar Pichai and other senior leaders outlined their vision for the company’s future direction. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai starkly warned that the stakes were excessively high, potentially rendering 2025 a pivotal year.
Following a succession of court dockets related to Google’s commercial practices, as well as another that could potentially require the acquisition of Android. While Google remains intensely focused on Gemini, Sundar Pichai revealed that scaling its patron-focused capabilities will be their primary goal for next year.
Recently, Google has rolled out several updates to Gemini. The platform offers a feature called Deep Analysis, hailed as “your personal AI analysis companion,” and has been available since its inception. At the same time, a cutting-edge AI model was launched, capable of processing multimodal inputs, and notably outperformed Gemini 1.5 Professional on key benchmarks, achieving this feat at twice the speed.
A key objective within Google is for Gemini to grow into the corporation’s “next app to reach half a billion users.” However, Pichai acknowledged that there are some obstacles ahead, anticipating “some give-and-take.” Ultimately, he believes Gemini can lead the industry by stating “In history, you don’t always have to be first but you must execute well and truly be the best in class as a product.”
Demis Hassabis, co-founder of DeepMind, predicted that “the merchandise themselves will evolve significantly over the next year or two.” He further elaborated on his vision, striving to create “a universal assistant that can seamlessly operate across any domain, modality, or system.”
When scrutinizing the place of DeepMind’s trusted testers stands in this timeline, Hassabis revealed that the program might be up-to-date within the first half of the year. In early December, Google made it possible to sign up for the “trusted tester waitlist,” but the floodgates have yet to open fully, with no immediate timeline disclosed.
Google’s tech dominance is being stretched by multiple entities, but a new challenge comes from OpenAI, further amplifying the pressure. Recently, the AI giant wrapped up its “12 Days of Ship-Mas” initiative, introducing a diverse array of innovative features. While several platforms boast impressive capabilities, arguably the most prominent is Sora, empowering users to generate AI-powered films from mere text prompts with no additional requirements necessary.
OpenAI also unveiled significant advancements, directly targeting Google with a clear challenge. To stay ahead of the curve, OpenAI unveiled its o3 and o3 mini AI models, touted as significant upgrades over their predecessor o1 and o1 mini iterations.
Notwithstanding this, OpenAI has recently introduced ChatGPT Pro, a premium subscription priced at $200 monthly. Upon registration, you’ll gain access to “best-in-class” entry points, accompanied by unlimited access to GPT-4, GPT-0, and premium voice capabilities.
For those with a passing interest in the future of AI, as well as the potential implications for Google’s Gemini platform, there is one key area of concern: whether the tech giant will impose related costs on entry. During the assembly, Hassabis was quoted as saying, “At present, we have no plans for such a subscription tier.” While it’s possible that circumstances could shift, this statement provides some reassurance in the absence of concrete commitments.
Providing a comprehensive roadmap outlining expected outcomes by 2025 is just the starting point in crafting a successful strategy. It is far more crucial to monitor progress, achieve, and ideally excel beyond these goals. It will be intriguing to observe how all elements unfold over the next 12 months.
