FILE PHOTO: Sissie Hsiao, Google's vice president and general manager for Google Assistant, presents features of the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro Phones, in New York City, U.S., October 4, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo
(Reuters) - Alphabet's Google is replacing Sissie Hsiao, who led the development of the artificial intelligence chatbot Bard, now known as Gemini, the company told staff in its AI division on Wednesday.
Hsiao will step down immediately, a company spokesperson confirmed. Josh Woodward, who leads Google Labs and oversaw the launch of NotebookLM — the company's popular tool that can turn text into a podcast-like show — will replace her.
Hsiao plans to take a short break and return to Google in a new role, the spokesperson said. She did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, said the move will help the company to focus on the evolution of the Gemini app, according to a Semafor report, which first reported on the move, citing a memo.
Woodward will retain his role as head of Google Labs while shaping the next chapter of Gemini, the spokesperson said.
Last year, Google shifted the team behind the Gemini app to its AI research lab, DeepMind, as the search giant looked to streamline its structure and better position itself in the generative AI race.
(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru and Kenrick Cai in San Francisco; Editing by Alan Barona)
