Google DeepMind names Koray Kavukcuoglu as new boss to close AI gap with OpenAI, Anthropic after lagging in frontier models since early 2026; former CTO replaces Demis Hassabis to refocus on coding, LLMs.

Google’s new AI boss inherits a race to catch OpenAI and Anthropic

Gemini AI signage during the Google I/O Developers Conference in Mountain View, California, US, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesDeepMind's new boss is set to face intense pressure to close the AI performance gap with OpenAI and Anthropic.OpenAI and Anthropic have released new systems in recent months that have been both hailed for and prompted concern over their advanced capabilities. On the other hand, Google, which acquired DeepMind in 2014, hasn't unveile...