Google taps Sergey Brin to lead AI team against Anthropic
What's the story
Google is forming a specialized "Coding Strike Team," headed by co-founder Sergey Brin, to improve its AI coding capabilities and compete with Anthropic's Claude AI. The initiative seeks self-improving AI models, with major announcements expected at the upcoming I/O conference. DeepMind CTO Koray Kavukcuoglu is also involved in the effort, highlighting its significance within Google's leadership.
Strategic shift
Urgent need to bridge agentic execution gap, Brin says
In a recent memo, Brin urged DeepMind staffers to aggressively pivot and catch up on agents. He said, "To win the final sprint, we must urgently bridge the gap in agentic execution and turn our models into primary developers." This statement underscores Google's commitment to improving its AI capabilities and closing the gap with competitors like Anthropic.
Market competition
Google's Gemini models lag behind in coding tasks
Google has made significant strides with its AI models, particularly the Gemini 3 series. However, Anthropic has carved a niche among coding-focused users who use its Claude AI to create new software using natural language prompts. Historically, Gemini models have lagged behind Anthropic's Claude lineup in SWE-bench Verified scores, a benchmark measuring an AI's ability to solve real-world GitHub issues.
Tool development
Google is building internal AI tool 'Agent Smith'
An earlier report by Business Insider revealed that Google is developing an internal AI tool called Agent Smith, after the popular antagonist from The Matrix. The tool can automate tasks like coding and documentation. It works asynchronously in the background, letting employees check in and give instructions directly from their phones without needing an active laptop.