# Google may launch Gemini 4 earlier than year‑end, says DeepMind chief

Digest AI · Generative AI & Models · published 2026-09-24T09:04:18Z · updated 2026-09-24T13:35:44Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/google-may-launch-gemini-4-earlier-than-yearend-says-deepmind-chief

## Summary

Google is reportedly close to launching its next flagship Gemini 4 model, after falling behind rivals on recent releases. DeepMind chief Koray Kavukcuoglu told The Information that Gemini 4 is in a refinement stage and the company aims to ship an early post‑training output well before the end of the year.

The remarks come after a leadership shake‑up at DeepMind, with former head Demis Hassabis stepping down in August following his claim of "great progress" on Gemini 4. Google’s last major model, Gemini 3, debuted in November 2025, while OpenAI’s GPT‑6 and Anthropic’s Mythos series have already launched and outperformed Gemini 3, giving competitors a sizable lead.

Kavukcuoglu added that Google will continue fast‑paced iterations and believes the firm will remain at the AI frontier despite the earlier missed Gemini 3.5 Pro update announced at I/O, which was replaced by a focus on quicker, smaller Flash models.

## Key points

- Google DeepMind chief says Gemini 4 is in refinement and may launch before year‑end
- Gemini 3 released November 2025; OpenAI GPT‑6 and Anthropic Mythos already outperformed it
- Planned Gemini 3.5 Pro update announced at I/O was not released, focus shifted to Flash models

## Why it matters

Gemini 4 could help Google regain momentum in the fast‑moving generative‑AI race, influencing developer adoption, cloud usage, and the competitive balance with OpenAI and Anthropic.

## Sources

1. [Gemini 4 is almost ready, says new Google DeepMind chief](https://theverge.com/tech/999802/google-deepmind-gemini-4-timeline-koray-kavukcuoglu) (The Verge AI, 2026-09-24)
2. [Deepmind was built to chase AGI, but its new chief just wants Gemini 4 out the door](https://the-decoder.com/deepmind-was-built-to-chase-agi-but-its-new-chief-just-wants-gemini-4-out-the-door) (The Decoder, 2026-09-24)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Google may launch Gemini 4 earlier than year‑end, says DeepMind chief", 24 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/google-may-launch-gemini-4-earlier-than-yearend-says-deepmind-chief

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