Sundar Pichai says he’d love to compare Google, Microsoft’s AI models

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai is challenging Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to an AI duel.

Well, sort of.

“I’d love to do a side-by-side comparison of Microsoft’s own models and our models any day, any time,” Pichai said, speaking at the The New York Times’ Dealbook Summit on Wednesday with interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin.

Pichai’s comments came after Sorkin read aloud comments from an interview Nadella did earlier this year, in which the Microsoft CEO questioned Google’s place in the AI arms race following the search giant’s AI product mishaps earlier this year.

“Google should have been the default winner in the world of big tech’s AI race,” Nadella said in March on the Norges Bank Investment Management’s podcast. “Google’s a very competent company and obviously they have both the talent and the compute. They’re the vertically integrated player in this. They have everything from data to silicon to models to products and distribution.”

“You guys were the originals when it comes to AI,” Sorkin told Pichai after reading Nadella’s comments. He asked Pichai, “Where [do] you think you are in the journey relative to these other players?”

“They’re using someone else’s models,” added Pichai after saying he’d love to do the side-by-side comparison.

“You’re throwing down the gauntlet,” Sorkin responded.

Laughing, Pichai shook his head adding, “I’m just — I have a lot of respect for them and the team.” 

Large Language Models are a type of artificial intelligence that can analyze and generate human language, trained by vasts amount of data. While Microsoft does have its own AI models, much of the advanced capabilities in its recent offerings are powered by OpenAI’s LLMs.

The market for chatbots and related AI tools has exploded since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT in late 2022, giving consumers a new way to seek information online outside of traditional search. Shortly after, Microsoft it announced a partnership with OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT into the Bing search engine.

Google has used its own LLMs for years to power its artificial intelligence and search products. Google latest LLMs is its Gemini series, which powers its conversational AI that competes with OpenAI’s GPT models. The company announced more advanced Gemini products in May. 

The latest comments come as tech companies spar amid the escalating AI arms race, particularly between Microsoft and Google.

In October, Microsoft took the unusual step of publicly accusing longtime rival Google of running “shadow campaigns” in Europe, claiming those efforts were designed to discredit the search giant with regulators.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Pichai’s comments.

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