Just before the holiday break, CEO Sundar Pichai and other Google executives held a strategy meeting for 2025, with Gemini as “highest priority” for this year.
A major priority for 2025
During this meeting (reported by CNBC), Sundar Pichai said:
“Expanding Gemini on the consumer side will be our biggest priority next year.”
Google plans to launch many AI features during the first half of 2025, thus strengthening its initiatives in this area.
Objective: reach half a billion users
In particular, Google aims for the Gemini application (gemini.google.com) becomes the next in-house app to reach half a billion monthly users. Currently, there are 15 Google apps that have crossed impressive thresholds.
In October, Sundar Pichai celebrated the milestone of 2 billion monthly users for Google Mapsjoining services such as Search, Gmail, Android, Chrome, Play et YouTubeall incorporating Gemini-related capabilities.
Pichai added:
“In history, you don’t always have to be first, but you have to execute perfectly and deliver the best product in its class. This is precisely the 2025 goal.”
Pichai also admitted that Google still has “work to do in 2025 to bridge the gap and establish a leadership position” in the AI and virtual assistant market.
Massive product evolution thanks to Gemini
DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis confirmed that Google plans to “give a boost” to the Gemini app. He indicated that the “Products are going to evolve massively over the next one or two years.”
The ultimate goal is to create a universal assistant, as described for Project Astrawho can “operate seamlessly across all domains, all modalities and all devices.”
Update expected for Astra
According to CNBC, Astra will be updated in the first half of 2025. This update could concern the integration of visual and camera capabilities in Gemini Live. Currently these features are being tested as a standalone app, but are expected to be integrated into the main Gemini app for consumers.
At the launch of Gemini 2.0 earlier this month, Demis Hassabis also clarified that there was no “no plans for a subscription level of this type” in response to a question about a possible $200 per month subscription, like that offered by OpenAI.
With these developments, Google seems determined to strengthen its position in the AI market, with Gemini at the center of its strategy for 2025.
