Google's Co-Founder Sergey Brin Personally Working on Firm's New AI

According to a recent report from The Wall Street Journal, Brin has been actively participating in meetings about AI and holding weekly discussions on new AI research with Google employees. The move marks a significant change from his previous hands-off approach after retiring from an executive role at Alphabet, Google’s parent company, in 2019.

Brin’s comeback comes as Google faces intensifying competition in AI research, with companies like Meta Platforms and Microsoft-backed research firm OpenAI releasing new AI offerings. Google is working on its general-purpose AI called Gemini, aiming to rival OpenAI’s GPT-4 model.

Brin, who co-founded Google with Larry Page in 1998, has spent time with AI researchers at Google’s newly constructed Charleston East building. Despite returning from their previous roles, Brin and Page still control most of Alphabet’s voting power and sit on an executive board committee with Pichai.

Google has been involved in AI research since 2011, when it formed the Brain research unit to explore the use of deep learning in building useful AI programs. Earlier this year, the Brain team was merged with DeepMind, an AI research company, under the leadership of Demis Hassabis, a co-founder of DeepMind.

Brin’s interest in AI has evolved. Initially, he ignored the work of the Brain team, expressing skepticism about their ability to crack AI. However, after witnessing the team’s research being used in Google’s major products, he changed his perspective regarding the team.

In his previous shareholder letter, Brin emphasized the power and potential of computation in tackling important problems, highlighting the significant development of AI as the most significant computing development in his lifetime.

“The new spring in artificial intelligence is the most significant development in computing in my lifetime,” he wrote in the letter issued in 2018.

What is Google’s Gemini AI Model?

Google’s Gemini AI model, short for Generalized Multimodal Intelligence Network, is the company’s latest advancement in artificial intelligence. Unlike traditional AI models limited to processing a specific data type, Gemini is a multimodal intelligence network capable of simultaneously handling various data types and tasks, including text, images, audio, video, 3D models, and graphs.

Gemini is not just a single model but a network of models working together to enhance the system’s overall capability. This unique network architecture enables Gemini to perform a wide range of tasks without requiring specialized models for each task.

Gemini offers several advantages compared to other large language models like GPT-4. Firstly, it is highly adaptable and can process data and tasks without requiring specialized models or fine-tuning. Additionally, Gemini can learn from any domain and dataset without being constrained by predefined categories or labels.

Big Tech Races to Lead AI Development

The race to lead AI development among big tech companies is heating up, with Meta, Microsoft, and Google taking the lead. Microsoft, for one, has invested over $10 billion in ChatGPT maker OpenAI, whose AI-powered chatbot has lit up the internet since its release last year.

Likewise, Meta plans to invest $33 billion in artificial intelligence technologies this year to support the “ongoing build-out of AI capacity,” Chief Financial Officer Susan Li said on a Q1 earnings call. The company also aims to commercialize its generative AI technology to improve ad effectiveness.

Furthermore, Apple is creating its AI-powered chatbot that some engineers call “Apple GPT,” according to a recent report from Bloomberg. The report claimed that Apple has multiple teams working on the project, which includes addressing potential privacy implications.

Even Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, recently announced his own AI startup, xAI. At its core, the company aims to challenge existing big AI firms like OpenAI with its alternative to ChatGPT.

Nevertheless, with the release of Gemini later this year, Google aims to establish itself as a leader in AI and match other potential rivals. And Brin’s return to active involvement in AI research at Google could further help the tech giant reach this goal.