● Covered by 2 sources · 2 reportsMedium impact2 neutral
Google DeepMind Chief States Gemini 4 AI Model is Nearing Launch
Key points
- Gemini 4 is in refinement stage, expected before year-end.
- Google has not released a flagship AI model since November 2025.
- Competitors OpenAI and Anthropic have released newer models.
- Google previously paused Gemini 3.5 Pro to focus on Flash models.
- Gemini 4 is in the "post-training" phase.
- Google DeepMind chief Koray Kavukcuoglu confirmed Gemini 4's status.
- Gemini 4 is undergoing safety testing and guardrail implementation.
- Internal testing uses Gemini 4 to power Antigravity.
- Kavukcuoglu hopes for a release "much earlier" than end of 2026.
Gemini 4 Nearing Release
Koray Kavukcuoglu, the new head of Google's DeepMind division, stated that the Gemini 4 AI model is currently in its refinement phase. The company intends to release the model "much earlier" than the end of the year, with an early post-training output planned for release as soon as possible due to promising internal results.
Addressing the AI Model Gap
Google has not released a new flagship AI model since the Gemini 3 series in November 2025. During this period, competitors such as OpenAI launched GPT-6 and Anthropic released its Mythos series models, both of which reportedly outperform Gemini 3. This has created a lead for rival AI providers against Google.
Previous Delays and Strategic Shifts
A planned Gemini 3.5 Pro update, announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai in May, was never rolled out. Kavukcuoglu explained that Google "took a little bit of a step back" to prioritize the introduction of faster, less powerful Flash models instead of releasing Gemini 3.5 Pro. This shift occurred after a leadership change at DeepMind, with former AI head Demis Hassabis stepping down in August.
Commitment to Frontier AI
Despite concerns about Google falling behind in AI development, Kavukcuoglu expressed confidence in the company's position. He stated that Google's intention is to "continue the fast-paced iterations" and that the company will "always gonna be at the frontier" of AI development.
Updates
- Gemini 4 is in the "post-training" phase.
- Google DeepMind chief Koray Kavukcuoglu confirmed Gemini 4's status.
- Gemini 4 is undergoing safety testing and guardrail implementation.
- Internal testing uses Gemini 4 to power Antigravity.
- Kavukcuoglu hopes for a release "much earlier" than end of 2026.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
The daily brief
One email each morning: the day's tech stories, clustered across outlets and summarized. No account needed.
One email a day. Unsubscribe in one click, any time.
Today's brief
Spend a few minutes, get the whole day. Every topic's top stories in one hands-free rundown — listen, watch, or read the transcript.
▶ Play today's brief
New every morning, and the back catalogue is archived by date.
How outlets covered it
Google DeepMind confirmed that its flagship AI model, Gemini 4, has entered the "post-training" phase, which includes safety testing and refinement before public release. This indicates an upcoming release for Gemini 4, following recent updates from competitors like Anthropic and OpenAI.
Google's DeepMind division, under new leadership, announced that its Gemini 4 AI model is in the refinement stage and is expected to launch "much earlier" than the end of the year. This release aims to address Google's lag in flagship AI models compared to competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic, which have launched newer models since Google's last major release in November 2025.