Google CEO Sundar Pichai has warned employees that the company faces critical challenges in 2025 as it struggles to catch up in artificial intelligence amid increasing competition and regulatory scrutiny. 
"The stakes are high," Pichai said in a strategy meeting, the details of which were reported from CNBC.
“I think it's very important that we internalize the urgency of this moment and we need to move faster as a company. The stakes are high. These are unsettling times. In 2025, we must focus relentlessly on unlocking the benefits of this technology and solving problems of real users".
The meeting revealed employee concerns about ChatGPT “not becoming synonymous with artificial intelligence in the same way that Google Search".
In response, DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis outlined the company's plans to further push the development of Google's Gemini app, which executives hope will become its next product to reach 500 millions users.
Pichai showed a chart that puts Gemini 1.5 ahead of OpenAI's GPT, though he expects "some back and forth" in 2025.
Pichai said "In history, you don't always have to be first, but you have to do things well and really be best in class as a product."
"I think that's 2025."
