Google DeepMind is reportedly nearing the release of Gemini 4, with new chief Koray Kavukcuoglu saying the model is in refinement and could launch much earlier than the end of 2026. The timing matters because Google has fallen behind OpenAI and Anthropic, whose newer flagship models are reported to outperform Gemini 3 and have widened the competitive gap.

Google has not released a major flagship model since the Gemini 3 series launched in November 2025. The company abandoned plans for a Gemini 3.5 Pro update, instead prioritising faster but less powerful Flash models, while former AI chief Demis Hassabis stepped down in August. Kavukcuoglu said Google intends to release an early post-training version as soon as possible and maintain faster development cycles.