Semafor reports that Sissie Hsiao, the executive in charge of Google's AI chatbot, is stepping down as the head of the Gemini application. According to an internal memo obtained by the outlet, Josh Woodward, Google Labs' vice president, will take over her role. Google spokesperson Alex Joseph confirmed the change but declined further comment.
In the memo, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said the change will "allow us to further focus on the next evolution of Gemini applications." Hsiao, in her own memo, mentioned she will be taking a "short break" before returning to Google in a new role.
Hsiao has been with Google for nearly 20 years, joining the company in 2006 as a product manager for search and docs. Appointed to lead the Gemini application (then called Bard) in 2021, her most notable achievement was helping launch Google's answer to ChatGPT.
According to Semafor, Woodward, who will continue his role leading Google Labs, will be responsible for "shaping the next chapter of Gemini." He previously helped develop NotebookLM, Google's AI note-taking app with the ability to turn research into AI podcasts. Google has integrated NotebookLM into its One AI Premium subscription service and expanded the functionality to create AI podcasts from in-depth Gemini research.
