We’ve joked for the past several years that Google I/O, the company’s developer conference, is really more like Google A/I. There’s a lot of truth behind it; so many of Google’s apps have gotten an AI makeover. But in a turbocharged field like AI, things change quickly. So as we prepare for Google I/O 2026, we’re revisiting what’s changed over the past year.
Google’s approach to AI is multidimensional. Gemini, the company’s AI, is embedded in every part of the business, from hardware like new AI-forward Pixel phones and smart glasses to AI integrations into every piece of software like Search, Google Docs, Gmail and more. Gemini, the chatbot, has also led the pack in a competitive industry and carved out industry-first capabilities.
The AI industry as a whole has changed a lot over the past year, too. Vibe coding and claws, or agents, have taken off. Data centers to power AI are multiplying, and they’ve sparked significant backlash in the communities where they’re proposed due to environmental and economic concerns. A computer chip shortage, sometimes referred to as RAMaggedon, has affected every part of the tech industry. There are still serious questions around AI’s role in our mental health and worries about AI leading to layoffs, job loss and an internet that’s overflowing with AI slop.
All of Google’s AI work over the past year has set the foundation for its future work. Here are the major trends we’ve seen from Google over the past year and what they suggest about what may come next.
Watch this: Google I/O 2026: New Gemini, Smart Glasses and a Whole New Laptop OS. Here’s What to Expect
Latest Gemini updates
Google leapfrogged ahead of competitors in November 2025 with Gemini 3. At the time, Gemini 3 had the most advanced AI capabilities of any model, sparking “code red” worries inside competitors like OpenAI and setting the technological foundation for the Gemini updates we’ve gotten since then. In an “icing on the cake” moment, Apple officially picked Gemini to power its smarter Siri, reportedly paying $1 billion for the pleasure.
Gemini 3.1 Pro is the latest model, building on its reasoning abilities. Google doesn’t do as many iterative models as OpenAI and Anthropic, but it does regularly release new features. Over the past few months, we’ve gotten the ability to generate files and interactive images directly in chats, a new MacOS app, NotebookLM integrations and more.
Agentic AI is another area where Google has been investing. Gemini agents can run processes and autonomously complete tasks. But Google recently shut down its experimental Project Mariner, which could be used to run agents across the web. The project’s capabilities will be used in other Gemini projects, and we will likely hear more about Google’s agentic AI future at I/O — including, possibly, more about Project Astra, Google DeepMind’s tech that helps AI “see” or identify objects like in Gemini Live’s camera mode.
Google is also one of the only major AI companies to give us a peek into AI’s environmental cost. Unsurprisingly, it said that the cost of an individual prompt is “minuscule.” But when you multiply that by the billions of prompts given each day — and an increasing number of agents operating independently — those numbers rise. Making AI more efficient through new hardware, like chips and software changes, has become a priority for AI companies battling rising costs while still developing new advanced models.
Bananas for creative AI
Google went bananas over the past year with AI image and video generation. The original Nano Banana image model was released in August, blowing most other creative AI services out of the water. The Pro version and second-generation models built on its popularity and made Google a formidable player in the generative media space. On the video side of things, we also got Veo 3.1 and 3.1 Lite, minor updates to its video model originally released at I/O. This year, we also got Genie, Google’s experimental 3D world-building tool.
This is not a real cat or a real Monopoly game board. It’s generated by Nano Banana Pro.
Image and video have been rapidly evolving areas of the AI industry. Google’s been a big part of this push. But not every AI company has stuck with generative media; OpenAI recently announced it would be discontinuing its AI video app, Sora. While most major AI companies have doubled down on workplace and coding AI tools, we could still see Google, with all its vast resources, release some new media models.
Google announced in January that it would be adding Nano Banana and Veo to its TV devices (in addition to the Gemini already there that lets you talk to your TV). Its filmmaking platform, Google Flow, reached a milestone of 100 million AI-generated videos made. But this creative AI may still come with trouble, as we saw when Disney slapped Google with a lawsuit alleging massive copyright infringement in December.
AI hardware: Pixels and smart glasses
AI hardware has become an increasingly important part of tech companies’ plans — now that the software is increasingly capable, it’s time to put it into specific products. We’ve seen this in many different devices, including phones, smartwatches and smart glasses.
The latest Google Pixel 10 line is chock full of AI. Practical tools include live voice translation and Magic Cue, which surface relevant information from across your phone apps. There’s also a bevy of image editing tools. When you zoom in beyond 10x on Pixel 10 phones, it will use generative AI to fill in the blanks and sharpen those details. There’s a Gemini AI-powered camera coach that will prompt you to get what it thinks is the best shot.
Read More: In 2026, Google Is Focused on Making AI Actually Useful
Google’s AI health coach is also rolling out. It’s inside the new Fitbit Air, which uses AI to analyze your health data to make personalized workout and recovery plans. This was originally promised for the Pixel Watch 4, which came out in October. But the watch had other AI tools, which is why CNET reviewer Vanessa Hand Orellana called it, “a truly competent, hands-free AI voice assistant that won’t leave you screaming at your wrist.”
Google’s recent smart glasses show the company has come a long way since its failed Google Glass project in 2013. The company has long been teasing its Android XR tech, and it’s worked with Samsung on its Galaxy XR mixed reality headset. It’s given it the foundation it needs to build out its own Gemini-infused headsets and glasses. We’re expecting to learn more about Google’s plans for smart glasses very soon.
AI in Google Search and beyond
Maybe more than any other Google program, Search has been dramatically changed by Google’s AI. Its AI overview summaries are still going, with new changes expanding the info they include and pulling from “firsthand” sources like Reddit. AI Mode, introduced at last year’s I/O, makes search queries more like talking with a chatbot and has agentic capabilities to do the searching for you. You can upload images and files for AI analysis and use AI to virtually try on clothing you want to buy.
Google’s also been building personalized intelligence in Search. This uses the information from your Google apps — email, calendar, photos — and gives you search results that are theoretically more relevant to your life. This is one of Google’s biggest advantages in the AI race — it has so many different products that its AI can pull information from across the ecosystem. That’s great for convenience, but not so much for privacy.
Personalized intelligence tailors results to you.
If there’s one thing we’ve seen from Google over the past year, it’s that there’s no software that’s safe from Gemini. Google Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides have all gotten new AI tools. Gemini can create template docs, eliminate manual data entry and make slides aesthetically cohesive. You have probably noticed that Gemini’s star icon has been moved to center stage in these programs.
Still not enough AI for you? Gemini can suggest meetings and manage your GCal. Gmail has Gemini everywhere. Google Maps contributors can have Gemini polish up submissions. The Google Photos app has a lot of image editing tools powered by AI. YouTube is chock-full of AI, from creator tools to user features and AI videos. Google’s smart home devices also got a hefty dose of Gemini. The list is endless.
Gemini, for better or worse, is the new Google. It seems unlikely that the company will pivot away from AI any time soon. So we can expect a lot more Gemini at this year’s developer conference and beyond.
