Pichai expressed his confidence in Google’s AI capabilities while speaking at The New York Times’ Dealbook Summit.
“I would love to do a side-by-side comparison of Microsoft’s own models and our models any day, any time,” Pichai said.
His comments came as interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin read out what Nadella said in an interview earlier this year.
“Google should have been the default winner in the world of big tech’s AI race,” Nadella had said in March on the Norges Bank Investment Management’s podcast.
He added, “Google’s a very competent company and obviously they have both the talent and the compute. They’re the vertically integrated player in this. They have everything from data to silicon to models to products and distribution.”
Later on, Sorkin told Pichai that they were the ‘originals when it comes to AI’. He then asked, “Where (do) you think you are in the journey relative to these other players?”
To this, Pichai replied, “They’re using someone else’s models”. He was referring to Microsoft’s use of OpenAI’s technology, according to reports.
Meanwhile, speaking at the event, Pichai also noted that the company’s search engine will ‘change profoundly’ in 2025.
“I think we are going to be able to tackle more complex questions than ever before,” The Verge quoted Pichai as saying.
Pichai further assured that many will be ‘surprised’ to see what new things it will be able to do in the coming year compared to today’s times.
“I think you’ll be surprised, even early in ‘25, by the kind of newer things Search can do compared to where it is today,” he said.
Taking about what he is expected to witness in 2025, Pichai said, “When I look at what’s coming ahead, we are in the earliest stages of a profound shift”.
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He also stated that there is “so much innovation ahead” as they are “committed to being at the state of the art in this field, and I think we are.”
Google kickstarted its major AI overhaul of the search engine earlier this year. Among the various features included the addition of AI search summaries as well as a Lens update that allows you to search the web with a video.
Further, the company is reportedly gearing up for the launch of a major update to its Gemini model in order to compete with other giants like Microsoft, OpenAI and the AI search engine, Perplexity.
