Commentary
Google Consolidates Teams To Accelerate AI In Products
- by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, April 19, 2024
Alphabet and Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai has announced changes to Google’s workplace structure to help the company develop artificial intelligence (AI) products and services faster.
On Thursday, Pichai said in a blog that the models, research and responsible AI teams would be consolidated under Google DeepMind.
Employees working on Google’s AI models — Gemini and Gemma — across Google Research and Google DeepMind will combine as one team.
The company also will consolidate the computing power needed to train and build the systems under one unit of the company.
Responsible AI teams across the business will also move under Google DeepMind, according to the post.
A new unified Platform and Devices team brings together efforts across hardware, software and AI teams — including those working on products such as Android, Chrome, search and photos, Pichai said.
The group will also include employees working on computational photography and on-device AI features like Google’s recent launch of “circle to search” AI tool it announced in partnership with Samsung.
Pichai wrote that the changes “will help us work with greater focus and clarity toward our mission.”
A central company — Trust and Safety, also announced Thursday — will focus and invest more in testing and evaluating of AI systems. This move was aimed at addressing the risks associated with rolling out consumer-facing AI products by centralizing accountability in one team.
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Pichai also alluded to the employee protest this week against the $1.2 billion joint contract with Amazon to provide the Israeli government and military with AI and cloud services. The partnership is known as Project Nimbus. Google on Wednesday fired 28 employees involved in the protest.
“We have a culture of vibrant, open discussion that enables us to create amazing products and turn great ideas into action,” Pichai wrote. “But ultimately we are a workplace and our policies and expectations are clear: This is a business, and not a place to act in a way that disrupts coworkers or makes them feel unsafe, to attempt to use the company as a personal platform, or to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics.”
Laurie Sullivan is a writer and editor for MediaPost. You can reach Laurie at lauriesullivan@gmail.com.