Google has introduced tough new rules for its software engineers telling them to use only the company’s own AI tools when writing code. The move comes as employees are under growing pressure to show strong AI skills with performance reviews now linked to how well they adapt. According to a report by Business Insider Google’s Engineering Vice President Megan Kacholia sent an email in June making it clear that engineers must use internal AI systems to boost their coding productivity. The rules also say that if engineers want to use outside AI tools for non-coding work they must first get approval. This directive aligns with a clear message conveyed by CEO Sundar Pichai during a July company-wide meeting wherein he asserted the imperative for employees to adopt AI to sustain Google’s competitive advantage.  According to Business Insider some employees said managers are now asking staff to show how they use AI in their daily work and this could soon affect performance reviews. One employee admitted “It seems obvious you need to use it to move forward” while another said those who build AI-powered workflows that help their teams are already being recognized and rewarded. Earlier Brian Saluzzo a senior executive at Google shared that the company is working on new tools to help software engineers speed up development and make AI use more common across teams. He introduced an internal platform called AI Savvy Google which provides employees with training materials toolkits and product-focused sessions to build their AI skills. Saluzzo also announced a joint training program with DeepMind called Building with Gemini designed to train engineers in using Google’s powerful Gemini AI model for more advanced work. Google has reported better-than-expected quarterly revenue and profit thanks to new AI features and steady growth in digital advertising. The company also announced a big jump in its investment plans with capital spending set at USD 85 billion mainly due to strong demand for cloud computing services. Chief Financial Officer Anat Ashkenazi said during an investor call that spending will likely rise even more in 2026 as demand for cloud and AI services continues to grow and open up new opportunities.