Google’s AI Struggles to Go Viral Despite Cutting-Edge Innovations

Despite its vast technological prowess and deep roots in artificial intelligence research, Google continues to fall short in capturing public excitement around its AI tools — a space where rivals like OpenAI and DeepSeek have excelled.

While Google has consistently introduced advanced AI models such as Gemini and pioneered scientific breakthroughs through its DeepMind unit, including AlphaFold, the company has yet to ignite widespread cultural or viral momentum with its offerings. In contrast, OpenAI has mastered the art of turning AI releases into headline-grabbing moments.

One recent example is OpenAI’s video-generation tool, Sora, which allows users to generate realistic video clips from text prompts. The product quickly became a topic of online discussion and speculation about the future of filmmaking. This was followed by the release of Ghibli, a stylized image-generation tool that evoked nostalgia with its comic strip-style visuals. Both tools were launched with the kind of marketing flair and user-focused engagement that keeps social media buzzing.

Google, on the other hand, has often unveiled superior or equally competitive technologies — including Gemini 2.5, which offers impressive memory and contextual processing — with comparatively muted fanfare. Even DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, has managed to attract more viral attention with its open-source models than Google has with its well-funded platforms.

Industry observers say this lack of virality has little to do with the quality of Google’s AI. Instead, it stems from how the company presents and packages its innovations. While OpenAI leans into emotion, creativity, and mass accessibility, Google’s launches often feel overly technical or targeted at enterprise use, sidelining broader public engagement.

Moreover, questions persist about accessibility. Tools like Gemini Advanced are gated behind paywalls, and features such as Google’s AI Studio and NotebookLM remain out of reach for casual users. Compared to ChatGPT’s open and engaging interface, Google’s AI personality can seem dry and corporate.

Experts suggest that Google may need to re-evaluate its outreach strategy. Adding personality to its rollouts, designing more interactive user experiences, and shifting from a cautious to a more experimental public posture could help the company gain ground in the AI popularity race.

For now, OpenAI continues to dominate the conversation, not just by building powerful tools, but by framing them as cultural moments. Google, with its enormous potential, still appears to be playing catch-up in the court of public opinion — a reminder that in the age of viral AI, performance alone isn’t enough.