Google AI chatbot Gemini head Sissie Hsiao steps down effective immediately; read Google DeepMind CEO memo to employees

Google is replacing the head of its consumer AI applications division, Semafor reported after reviewing internal memos. The move comes as the artificial intelligence race increasingly centers on the products built using AI models, rather than the underlying technology itself. Sissie Hsiao, who headed Google’s development of its AI chatbot, initially named Bard and now known as Gemini, is stepping down with immediate effect. Her successor will be Josh Woodward, the current leader of Google Labs, who oversaw the successful launch of NotebookLM, a popular tool that converts text into a podcast-like format.

Hsiao, a long-standing Google employee of 19 years, took a leading role in the company’s rapid response to the emergence of ChatGPT, which significantly disrupted the technology sector and compelled Google to accelerate the public release of its internally developed AI technology.