# Google's Gemini 4 is coming soon, new DeepMind chief says

> After falling behind rivals, Google promises its next flagship AI model will launch well before year's end.
- Title: Google's Gemini 4 is coming soon, new DeepMind chief says
- Summary: After falling behind rivals, Google promises its next flagship AI model will launch well before year's end. Google is accelerating Gemini 4's release to…
- Keywords: google, deepmind, gemini 4, koray kavukcuoglu, ai model launch, openai, anthropic, ai development race, gemini 3, technology, culture, Google's
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/tech/999802/google-deepmind-gemini-4-timeline-koray-kavukcuoglu
- Author: Jess Weatherbed
- Published: 2026-09-24T09:04:18+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: google, deepmind, gemini 4, koray kavukcuoglu, ai model launch, openai, anthropic, ai development race, gemini 3, technology, culture
## Google's new AI chief takes the helm
Koray Kavukcuoglu made his first public appearance as leader of Google DeepMind, replacing Demis Hassabis who stepped down in August.
## Gemini 4 arriving much sooner
Kavukcuoglu told The Information that Gemini 4 is in refinement and will launch "much earlier" than the end of 2026, with an early version coming as soon as possible.

> Our intention is to, like, as soon as possible, to release an early post-training output because we see the results and we are excited
## Google fell behind on AI releases
Google hasn't launched a new flagship model since Gemini 3 in November 2025, while OpenAI released GPT-6 and Anthropic released Mythos, both outperforming Gemini 3.
## A missed update and strategic pivot
Google promised a Gemini 3.5 Pro update in June but never released it, choosing instead to focus on faster, less powerful Flash models.
## Kavukcuoglu confident on frontier status
When asked about falling behind rivals, the new DeepMind chief said it's "a certainty that we are always gonna be at the frontier."

> In my mind, it's a certainty that we are always gonna be at the frontier.
## Key takeaway

Google is accelerating Gemini 4's release to regain ground lost to OpenAI and Anthropic in the AI race.