‘Stakes are high’: Google CEO Sundar Pichai highlights AI strategy and challenges for 2025

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has set an ambitious tone for 2025, urging employees to accelerate innovation and remain focused amid fierce competition, regulatory pressures, and advancements in artificial intelligence. Speaking at a strategy meeting earlier in the month reported by CNBC, Pichai emphasised the need to deliver cutting-edge solutions, calling it a “critical” year for the company.

“I think 2025 will be critical,” Pichai told employees at the meeting held at Google’s Mountain View headquarters, with some attending virtually. “The stakes are high. These are disruptive moments. In 2025, we need to be relentlessly focused on unlocking the benefits of this technology and solving real user problems.”

The meeting followed a challenging year for Google, marked by internal restructuring, regulatory scrutiny, and intensifying competition in AI from rivals like OpenAI, which has propelled ChatGPT to prominence.

A major point of discussion was Google’s Gemini AI model, which Pichai described as a priority for the company in 2025. Gemini provides tools including a chatbot and consumer-facing applications, with executives targeting half a billion users for the app.

DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis highlighted plans to “turbocharge” Gemini, envisioning a universal assistant capable of operating across any domain, device, or modality. Hassabis also previewed updates to Project Astra, Google’s experimental universal assistant, expected in the first half of the year.

“The products themselves are going to evolve massively over the next year or two,” Hassabis said, addressing the evolution of consumer AI tools.

While Google remains dominant in search, generative AI is reshaping the digital landscape. Competitors like OpenAI, supported by Microsoft, and Perplexity AI are investing heavily in AI-powered search tools.

Acknowledging the competition, Pichai said, “In history, you don’t always need to be first, but you have to execute well and really be the best in class as a product. That’s what 2025 is all about.”

Josh Woodward, head of Google Labs, demonstrated emerging AI-driven products such as:

    •    Jules: A coding assistant for software development.
    •    NotebookLM: An AI-powered notetaking tool with podcast integration.
    •    Project Mariner: A multitasking Chrome extension designed to streamline tasks like syncing restaurant data from Tripadvisor with Google Maps.

The live demos received applause from employees, underscoring the company’s commitment to delivering practical and innovative solutions.

Google’s ambitions are set against a backdrop of legal and regulatory hurdles. In 2024, the company faced accusations of monopolistic practices in search and online advertising. Pichai acknowledged the scrutiny, stating, “It’s not lost on me that we are facing scrutiny across the world. It comes with our size and success.”

Despite these challenges, Pichai urged employees to embrace a scrappy mindset, referencing the resourcefulness of Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

“Often, constraints lead to creativity. Not all problems are solved by headcount,” he said, alluding to the company’s cost-cutting measures, including workforce reductions in 2023.