Google’s momentum in the AI race is attracting attention from one of the field’s most respected voices: Geoffrey Hinton, widely known as the “Godfather of AI.” During a conversation with Business Insider, Hinton said he thinks Google has finally started pulling ahead of OpenAI after years of playing catch-up-and he is not surprised that it took this long for the shift to happen.
Hinton, an emeritus professor at the University of Toronto and a former leading researcher at Google Brain, said the tech giant’s newest breakthroughs signal a clear shift in the competitive landscape.
Praise across the tech world for Google’s launch of Gemini 3 and the strong reception for its Nano Banana Pro AI image model have given way to a perception that the company is reclaiming leadership in AI innovation.
Geoffrey Hinton Predicts Google Will ‘Win’ the AI Race, Overtaking OpenAI Due to Custom Chips and Caution Reversal
According to Hinton, the industry is seeing early signs of a reversal. For years, OpenAI was out front with ChatGPT, forcing Google to declare an internal “code red” in 2022. But now it’s flipped, he said. There are reports OpenAI is sounding the alarm as Google’s technology pushes ahead.
“I think that right now they’re beginning to overtake it,” Hinton said of Google’s position relative to OpenAI. His prediction rests on a number of advantages that Google holds — most notably, its custom AI chips.
Recent reports that Google may strike a billion-dollar deal to supply Meta with its chips helped lift Alphabet’s share price, reinforcing investor confidence in the company’s long-term AI strategy.
That advantage is particular to Google because the company makes its own chips, Hinton added. The company also benefits from massive data centers, vast datasets, and a deep bench of researchers. “My guess is Google will win,” he said.
Hinton is unusually authoritative because he lived through Google’s ascendance. During ten years at Google Brain, Hinton helped develop fundamental techniques in neural networks.
And he reminded the audience that Google had enormous advantages even before ChatGPT took the world by storm. “Google invented transformers. Google had big chatbots before other people,” he said.
But Google’s leadership slipped, in part, because the company was cautious. After Microsoft’s AI chatbot Tay went rogue in 2016, posting racist content within hours of launch, major companies became highly sensitive to reputational risks. Google, Hinton said, was especially careful. It didn’t want a similar scandal tied to its name.
Google Bounces Back with Gemini 3 and Chip Strategy; Honors AI Pioneer Geoffrey Hinton with $10M Chair at U of T
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has copped to the fact that the company held back, saying earlier this year that their chatbot simply wasn’t ready for public release. “It still had a lot of issues at that time,” Pichai said.
That warning didn’t spare Google from tripping up. The company had several high-profile missteps in 2023 and 2024, including an AI generator of images that created historically incorrect visuals and early AI search summaries suggesting silly advice like putting glue on pizza. Those mistakes made headlines and fueled criticism about the maturity of Google’s AI products.
Even so, Google seems to be getting its second wind. Strong reaction to Gemini 3 and Google’s chip strategy is turning the news cycle around for the company. Hinton credits the company’s long-term strength for such moves rather than a sprint to catch up.
Beyond the competitive dynamics, however, Hinton’s interview coincides with a personal milestone: Google has donated $10 million CAD to help establish the Hinton Chair in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Toronto. The university will match the donation, creating a $20 million CAD endowment to support breakthroughs in AI research.
The announcement highlights Google’s continued respect for Hinton’s legacy. In a statement, the company praised his “curiosity-driven, fundamental research,” saying that his contributions laid the groundwork for modern AI. Having spent a decade at Google, Hinton parted ways with the company in 2023 over his concerns about the trajectory of advanced AI technologies.
Hinton’s Warnings Shape the AI Safety Debate
Since leaving, he has emerged as an outspoken voice of caution. He repeatedly addressed potential risks, such as AI systems outsmarting humans, job displacement, and broader risks to society.
His warnings set him at the center of worldwide debates that continue over the safety of AI and how it should be regulated. In 2024, his contributions were further recognized when he won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
As the competition in AI only increases, Hinton’s latest comments add a new dimension to the race between Google and OpenAI. While the rapid progress at Google has bred new partnerships and a renewed confidence, shifting the landscape once again, Hinton says this might also be the time when the company that once led the field will lead it once more.
