Everything Google announced at I/O 2026: Biggest upgrade to Search in 25 years, new Gemini 3.5 Flash and Gemini Omni AI model, redesigned Gemini app, and more

Google hosted its biggest event of the year – I/O 2026 yesterday. At the I/O 2026, Google unveiled a wide range of artificial intelligence announcements, offering a glimpse into how the company sees the future of technology. The event focused heavily on AI models, AI agents and smarter experiences across Google’s ecosystem. The company introduced two new AI models — Gemini Omni and Gemini 3.5 Flash — alongside upgrades to its AI development platform and new agent-based tools for Search, shopping and the Gemini app. On the first day, Google also announced new AI-powered experiences for products such as YouTube, wearable devices and Google Pics, showing how deeply the company plans to integrate AI into everyday digital experiences. Here’s a look back at major announcements made by Google

Gemini Omni becomes Google’s biggest AI announcement

One of the biggest announcements at the event was Gemini Omni, a new multimodal AI model family that combines Gemini’s reasoning abilities with advanced content creation capabilities.


Google described Omni as “our new model that can create anything from any input — starting with video.” The company said users can combine text, images, video and audio inputs to create AI-generated videos grounded in Gemini’s understanding of the real world.


“Omni is our new model that can create anything from any input — starting with video. With Omni, you can combine images, audio, video and text as input and generate high-quality videos grounded in Gemini's real-world knowledge. You can also easily edit your videos through conversation,” the company said in its official announcement.

The first model in the family, Gemini Omni Flash, is rolling out globally through the Gemini app, Google Flow and YouTube Shorts. Google said the model will later support additional output formats such as image and audio generation.


Google also demonstrated conversational video editing, where users can edit videos using natural language instructions. According to the company, Omni maintains scene consistency, physics and character continuity across multiple edits. The company said all videos created using Gemini Omni will include SynthID digital watermarks for content transparency and verification.

Gemini 3.5 Flash becomes default Gemini model

Alongside Omni, Google introduced Gemini 3.5 Flash, which is now becoming the default model inside the Gemini app and AI-powered Search. Google said the model is significantly faster, better at coding and more capable at agentic tasks. The company also claimed Gemini 3.5 Flash includes stronger guardrails to reduce harmful outputs and accidental blocking of safe prompts.


“Gemini 3.5 Flash delivers intelligence that rivals large flagship models on multiple dimensions, at the speeds you have come to expect from the Flash series. It’s our strongest agentic and coding model yet,” the company said.

Google said Gemini 3.5 Pro is currently in testing and will launch next month. As announced by the company, 3.5 Flash is now the default model for the Gemini app and AI Mode in Search globally. The Gemini app itself is also receiving a redesign with updated animations, haptic feedback and a new visual style that Google calls “neural expressive.”

Gemini Spark becomes Google’s AI agent

Google also unveiled Gemini Spark, an always-on AI agent platform that many reports described as Google’s answer to OpenClaw. Powered by Gemini 3.5 Flash, Spark runs continuously on Google Cloud virtual machines and can perform tasks like:

• Writing emails
• Creating study guides
• Managing schedules
• Monitoring subscriptions and expenses
• Planning events
• Researching information

Spark integrates with Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Slides, while support for third-party apps through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) is also coming. Google said Spark will ask for user permission before performing sensitive or high-risk actions. Spark is currently rolling out to trusted testers and Google AI Ultra users in the US.

Google expands Antigravity into full AI agent platform

Google also announced major upgrades to Antigravity, its AI-first development platform. The company said Antigravity is evolving from a coding assistant into a full agentic development system that can help build apps, software and workflows through natural language. Google launched:

• Antigravity 2.0
• Antigravity CLI
• Desktop tools
• SDK support for developers

During demonstrations, Google showed Antigravity creating software and operating system components using AI agents. The company said the goal is to make “anyone a builder,” even without traditional programming knowledge.

Universal Cart brings AI shopping to Google ecosystem

Another major announcement was Universal Cart, which Google described as a “truly intelligent shopping cart.” Explaining the new car, Google said: “Universal Cart is an intelligent shopping cart and your new hub for shopping on Google. It works across merchants and across services, so you can add things to your cart while you’re browsing Search, chatting with Gemini, watching YouTube or even reading your Gmail”.


“The moment you add a product to your cart, it gets to work in the background — finding deals and price drops, giving you insights on price history and alerting you when an item is back in stock. It all runs on our Gemini models, so your cart gets even smarter as the models improve.”

The system allows users to add products from Search, Gemini, YouTube and Gmail. Users can then check out across multiple stores at once.


Google said Universal Cart can:

• Track prices
• Suggest discounts
• Monitor loyalty rewards
• Alert users about compatibility issues
• Recommend related items

Retailers including Nike, Walmart, Sephora, Wayfair and Shopify are part of the system. Google said Universal Cart will begin rolling out this summer inside Search and Gemini.

Google Search gets its biggest upgrade in 25 years

Google announced major updates to Search with deeper Gemini integration. The redesign pushes AI deeper into every part of the experience, drops users into interactive results for some queries, and introduces agents that scan the web on your behalf around the clock.


The redesigned box expands as you write longer, messier, more conversational queries—no more deciding upfront which mode you want. It accepts text, images, files, videos and even open Chrome tabs as inputs. AI-powered suggestions appear as you type, which Google says go further than autocomplete. You can ask a follow-up straight from an AI Overview and slide into an AI Mode conversation without losing context. The new box is rolling out today wherever AI Mode is available.

The company introduced:

• Information agents
• Intelligent search boxes
• Generative search layouts
• Voice-powered search tools

“We’re entering the era of Search agents, where you can easily create, customize and manage multiple AI agents for your many tasks, right in Search. We’re starting with information agents. Operating in the background, 24/7, these agents intelligently reason across information to find exactly what you need at exactly the right moment,” the company said.


Search can now answer more complex multimodal questions using text, images and videos. Google also launched Gmail Live, which allows users to search emails using conversational voice prompts.

Ask YouTube brings AI search inside videos

Google introduced Ask YouTube, a new AI-powered feature for searching within YouTube videos. The tool allows users to ask questions about video content and receive contextual responses generated by Gemini AI. Google is also integrating Gemini Omni into YouTube Shorts and YouTube Create.

AI expands across Workspace and apps

Google announced several AI upgrades across Workspace products. These include:

• Voice capabilities: New conversational features that help you brainstorm, organize your thoughts and get things done in Gmail, Docs and Keep with just your voice
• Google Pics: An all-new app that reimagines how you generate and edit your images with ultimate precision for professional to everyday creative projects
• AI Inbox: Now expanding to Google AI Plus and Pro subscribers with new updates to help you better manage and stay on top of your inbox
• Gemini Spark: A new 24/7 personal AI agent in the Gemini app that can help you navigate digital life and take action on your behalf, under your direction, and integrate with your Workspace apps

Smart glasses and Android XR return to focus

Google also returned to wearable devices with multiple Android XR and smart glasses announcements. There will be two types of intelligent eyewear: audio glasses that offer spoken help in your ear, and display glasses that show you the information you need, right when you need it. Both let you stay hands-free and heads up, and get you help from Gemini just by asking. Audio glasses are launching first, coming later this fall.


The company showed new intelligent eyewear developed alongside Samsung, Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. The glasses come with features such as Live translation, Audio assistance

Navigation, Gemini AI integration and Notification summaries. Here are a few of the features coming to audio glasses.

• Ask about what you see: Ask Gemini about anything you see. Find reviews for the restaurant you’re walking past, learn the name of that cloud formation up above or quickly decode a confusing parking sign.
• Navigate with ease: Glasses know where you’re standing and which direction you're facing, so they’ll give you natural, turn-by-turn directions. Gemini can also add stops to your route or find nearby restaurants based on your preferences.
• Stay connected, hands-free: Manage calls, send texts and have Gemini summarize missed messages without reaching for your phone. Or ask to listen to music that complements your environment — all on crisp, clear and private over-ear speakers.
• Capture and edit: Snap high-quality photos and videos instantly. With a single command you can take a picture and use Nano Banana to remove background distractions or playfully transform your images. Try, “Hey Google, take a picture and put everyone in funny hats.”
• Translate speech and writing: Get real-time translations with audio that matches the tone and pitch of the speaker’s voice, or simply look at text on menus and signs to hear a translation.
• Get help with tasks: Gemini Intelligence handles multi-step tasks in the background. Gemini can prepare your coffee order on Doordash while your phone stays in your pocket. All that’s left for you is the final order confirmation.
• Tap into your apps: Order a ride with Uber, learn a new language with Mondly and more, just by using your voice with your phone’s apps. Glasses pair with both Android and iOS phones.

During the event, Google also updated Project Aura smart glasses developed with Xreal.

SynthID expands across Google products

Google announced broader expansion of SynthID, its AI watermarking and content transparency technology. Expanding the availability of SynthID that was first introduced i 2023, Google said: “Our goal is to make it easier to learn more about the content you encounter online. That’s why we recently added SynthID verification for image, video and audio to the Gemini app. Already, it’s been used 50 million times globally, and we’re expanding this verification capability to Search today and Chrome over the coming weeks”.

“We’re also adding verification for C2PA Content Credentials, to easily check if content is an unaltered original from a camera or if it has been modified, and by what tools. This feature is rolling out in the Gemini app starting today, and it will come to Search and Chrome in the coming months. This builds on features like the labels on YouTube that identify AI-generated content and our work with trusted testers on Backstory to make detection tools faster and more reliable,” it added.

Gemini app becomes more agentic

During the Google I/O 2026 keynote, the company revealed that Gemini has crossed more than 900 million people across 230 countries and more than 70 languages. Google has redesigned the Gemini app with a design language that it calls Neural Expressive. The interface now features fluid animations, vibrant colors, new typography and haptic feedback.


Google has also integrated the Gemini Live conversational experience directly into Gemini. “Now, you can seamlessly switch from typing a quick question to diving deep into a free-flowing conversation — and back again — without missing a beat. We also re-engineered the mic so you can tap and talk through a complex idea at your own pace without getting cut off mid-thought. And soon, we’ll start offering regional dialects, allowing you to choose a voice that truly resonates with you,” the official announcement said.

Neural Expressive is rolling out globally today across the web, Android and iOS for everyone.

Google AI Studio at I/O 2026

At Google I/O 2026, Google announced major upgrades to Google AI Studio, its AI-powered development platform designed to help users quickly build applications using artificial intelligence. The company said AI Studio has become one of the fastest ways for developers and creators to move from a simple prompt to a working production app, and the latest updates are aimed at expanding what users can build across Google’s ecosystem.


One of the biggest announcements was direct integration with Google Workspace services, allowing apps built inside AI Studio to work with Google Sheets, Drive and documents without leaving the platform. Google said developers can now create dashboards using Sheets data, build tools that organise Drive content and create applications that work directly with existing team documents and workflows. The company also announced support for exporting projects directly into Google Antigravity for local development.

According to Google, conversation history, project files and stored secrets will move together with the export, allowing developers to continue building projects with their teams while scaling development workflows more easily. Google also introduced several new AI-powered design tools inside AI Studio. These include custom asset generation powered by Nano Banana, which allows the AI Studio Build agent to automatically create images and interface assets while building apps. The company said the feature is designed to help developers create customised interfaces and prototypes without relying on external placeholder images or separate design software.


Another new feature allows users to edit applications directly inside preview windows by drawing on components, annotating layouts and generating updated visuals in real time. Google also announced a new mobile version of Google AI Studio, which is now available for pre-registration. The mobile app will allow users to create, edit and preview applications directly from smartphones.