Google has announced a major expansion of its artificial intelligence ecosystem, introducing a series of new AI-powered products and services aimed at reshaping how people search online, manage daily tasks and interact with digital devices. The announcements were made during the company’s annual Google I/O developer conference in California, where executives outlined plans to deepen AI integration across Search, Chrome, YouTube and Android-powered devices.
The technology giant says its latest developments are designed to make AI more proactive, personalized and capable of handling real-world tasks with minimal user input — a direction increasingly referred to in the industry as “agentic AI.”
Google Pushes Further Into “Agentic” AI
Speaking at the event near Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, CEO Sundar Pichai said the company is entering what he described as its “agentic Gemini era.”
According to Google, this next phase of AI development focuses on systems that do more than answer questions. Instead, the tools are designed to independently assist users by organizing information, monitoring tasks and taking actions on their behalf while still requiring approval for sensitive activities.
The company’s latest AI assistant, Gemini Spark, is central to that strategy. The cloud-based assistant is designed to work continuously in the background, even when a user’s laptop is closed or smartphone is locked.
Google says Spark will be able to summarize meetings, organize emails and chat conversations, generate task lists and compile reports automatically. For higher-risk activities — such as sending messages or making purchases — the assistant will request user permission before proceeding.
The beta version will initially be available to selected testers and later to U.S. subscribers of Google’s premium AI Ultra service. Integration into the Chrome browser is expected later this summer.
Gemini 3.5 Becomes Google’s New AI Foundation
Another major announcement was the launch of Gemini 3.5, the latest generation of Google’s AI model family.
The first release, Gemini 3.5 Flash, is focused on speed and coding performance. Google says the model is now the default system powering both the Gemini app and AI-powered Google Search experiences.
The company also confirmed that Gemini Pro 3.5 is currently being tested internally and is expected to launch publicly next month.
Google says the updated models include stronger safety protections designed to reduce harmful or misleading responses while also minimizing unnecessary refusals to answer legitimate questions.
During the keynote presentation, Google revealed that monthly users of the Gemini app have climbed from 400 million last year to more than 900 million globally — a sign of rapidly growing adoption as AI services become more integrated into everyday online activity.
New AI Video Model Introduced
Google also introduced Gemini Omni, a new multimodal AI system capable of generating and editing videos using text, images, audio and video prompts.
The company says users will be able to refine generated videos through conversational prompts rather than relying on traditional editing software. Future versions are also expected to support image and audio creation.
Google claims Omni-generated videos will appear more realistic because the model has a stronger understanding of physical behaviours such as gravity, motion and fluid dynamics.
The first version, Gemini Omni Flash, is rolling out for paid Google AI subscribers through the Gemini app and Google Flow platform. Free access is also being added to YouTube Shorts and the YouTube Create app.
To address growing concerns around AI-generated media, Google confirmed that all content created with Omni will include its invisible SynthID watermark technology. The company is also adding new verification tools that help determine whether photos or videos were created by AI or captured using traditional cameras and later edited digitally.
Several AI firms, including OpenAI, Kakao and Eleven Labs, are also adopting SynthID for their own AI-generated content.
Smart Glasses Return to Google’s Product Lineup
Google used the conference to provide an updated look at its long-anticipated smart glasses initiative.
The company plans to release two types of wearable AI glasses: one focused on audio assistance and another featuring visual displays embedded in the lenses.
The audio-first version is expected to launch later this year. Users will be able to activate Gemini using voice commands or touch controls on the frame. Google says the glasses will support live translations, navigation assistance, messaging and other hands-free features.
The company partnered with Samsung along with eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to develop the devices.
Google previewed early designs during the event, including both sunglasses and prescription-style frames.
AI Search and Shopping Tools Expand
Google is also expanding AI functionality across Search, an area that remains critical to the company’s advertising business and digital dominance.
The company says searches performed through its conversational “AI mode” have more than doubled each quarter since launch and now exceed one billion monthly users worldwide.
The updated Search experience will now use Gemini 3.5 Flash as its default model. Google is also introducing a redesigned search box capable of handling longer, more detailed questions while suggesting AI-assisted prompts as users type.
The search engine will additionally support multimodal queries, allowing users to search using combinations of text, photos, video files and even open Chrome browser tabs.
For online shopping, Google introduced Universal Cart, a cross-platform AI shopping tool that works across Search, Gmail, YouTube and Gemini. The feature tracks prices, monitors stock availability and searches for discounts automatically after users add products to their cart.
The rollout for Universal Cart is expected to begin this summer.
Growing Investment Reflects Intensifying AI Competition
Google’s latest announcements highlight the intensifying race among major technology companies to dominate the AI sector, particularly as firms compete to integrate AI assistants into search, productivity software and consumer devices.
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has invested heavily in AI infrastructure and research. Company executives recently indicated capital spending could reach as much as US$190 billion this year.
For Canadian consumers and businesses, the continued expansion of AI tools could increasingly affect how people search for information, shop online and interact with workplace software. At the same time, concerns around privacy, misinformation and the reliability of AI-generated content remain central to public debate as the technology becomes more deeply embedded in everyday digital life.
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