In a wide-ranging interview with YouTuber Lex Fridman, Google CEO Sundar Pichai reaffirmed the company’s commitment to its AI-first strategy and dismissed concerns that artificial intelligence will lead to widespread job loss. Instead, Pichai emphasized that AI will serve as a catalyst for job creation and technological advancement. Addressing recent criticism over Google's perceived lag in the AI race, Pichai acknowledged the challenges the company faced over the past year but highlighted the strategic steps taken to secure long-term leadership in artificial intelligence. “We’ve laid a strong foundation,” Pichai said. “The direction is right, and we are building for the future.”
A central part of that foundation is the formation of Google DeepMind, which merges the company’s leading AI teams from Brain and DeepMind to drive the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies. According to Pichai, this move enables Google to better integrate cutting-edge AI into its products, delivering more meaningful technology to users. Pichai pointed to recent milestones including the launch of Gemini 2.5 AI models, the introduction of new AI-powered features across Google apps, and an upcoming AI-driven chat mode in Google Search. These developments, he said, underscore Google's position at the forefront of innovation.
Crucially, Pichai challenged the narrative that AI poses a threat to jobs. “AI is not a threat,” he said. “It’s a platform to accelerate human potential.” Looking ahead, Pichai revealed that Google plans to expand its engineering workforce by 2026. He argued that fears surrounding AI-induced unemployment are largely unfounded and that the transformative potential of AI will open up new opportunities in technology, research, and product development.
“The opportunities that AI will create in the next decade will be many times greater than those of the past,” Pichai stated. “And Google is in the best position to lead in this area.” As Google continues to invest in artificial intelligence, the company appears set to redefine both the future of work and the technological landscape, reinforcing its role as a global innovator.