TLDR
- Google DeepMind chief Koray Kavukcuoglu says Gemini 4 is in post-training and could launch well before year end.
- The comments came during his first public appearance since taking over DeepMind’s top role.
- Google hasn’t released a new flagship model since Gemini 3 in November 2025.
- Rivals OpenAI and Anthropic have released newer models since then, pulling ahead of Gemini 3.
- Alphabet stock fell 3.80% while Meta Platforms rose 1.02% on the news.
Alphabet (GOOGL) stock dropped 3.80% as investors weighed comments about the company’s next AI model. Meta Platforms (META) stock moved the other way, gaining 1.02% the same day.
The catalyst was a rare public update from Google DeepMind. Koray Kavukcuoglu, who now leads the division, said Gemini 4 is closer to release than many expected.
Kavukcuoglu spoke at The Information’s AI Agenda Live Summit on Wednesday. It was his first media appearance since taking the top job at DeepMind.
$GOOGL says Gemini 4 is already in early post training with an initial release coming soon and the full model expected well before year end.
Google is now moving faster on releases as it tries to close the model gap with Anthropic and OpenAI. pic.twitter.com/Zdi3rtnmpu
— Shay Boloor (@StockSavvyShay) September 24, 2026
He said Gemini 4 is currently in post-training. That’s the phase where a base model gets refined for more reliable performance.
“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,” Kavukcuoglu said. He added that Google plans to “continue the fast-paced iterations” after launch.
A Leadership Shakeup Behind the Scenes
The update follows a change at the top of DeepMind. Former AI head Demis Hassabis stepped down in August.
Before leaving, Hassabis said “great progress” was being made on Gemini 4. Kavukcuoglu has now taken over that work and is the one setting expectations for its release.
He said the model should launch “much earlier” than the end of 2026. That would mark a return to a faster release pace for Google’s AI division.
Falling Behind on Flagship Releases
Google’s last flagship model was Gemini 3, which came out in November 2025. Since then, competitors have moved ahead.
OpenAI released GPT-6 in the months following. Anthropic launched its Mythos series too. Both are said to outperform Gemini 3, giving rivals a real edge in the AI race.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai had promised a fix. At the I/O event in May, he said a major Gemini 3.5 Pro update was coming in June.
That update never happened. Kavukcuoglu explained the delay on Wednesday, saying Google “took a little bit of a step back.”
Instead of pushing out Gemini 3.5 Pro, the company focused on smaller, faster Flash models. It’s a different bet than what Pichai originally signaled months earlier.
Asked if he’s worried about Google losing ground to rivals, Kavukcuoglu didn’t hedge. “In my mind, it’s a certainty that we are always gonna be at the frontier,” he told The Information.
Meanwhile, Meta’s own AI products have been gaining traction. The company saw growing popularity for its AI tools through September, adding another competitor to an already crowded field.
For now, Gemini 4 remains unreleased. Kavukcuoglu’s comments are the clearest signal yet that a launch is coming, though no exact date has been confirmed.
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