Can Google Wow Us at I/O 2026? Here’s What It Has to Get Right

It feels like Google is trying to push its way through a crowded room in order to be the center of attention.

Google I/O, the company’s annual developer conference, is a week away — and tech experts expect there’ll be announcements of new AI features, integrations and devices that could change our daily lives.

This week at The Android Show: I/O Edition virtual event, Google revealed Android 17, Googlebooks (a new type of Chromebook) and updates to Gemini and Android Auto. But there’s still plenty for Google to show off at I/O on May 19 and 20, including Android XR smart glasses — and more AI. 

Google I/O is the first in a series of developer events over the coming weeks, with Apple’s WWDC and Microsoft’s Build scheduled for the start of June. We’ve all heard tech companies talk about dominating AI, pushing deeper into wearables and creating ecosystems where all of their devices work seamlessly together. I/O gives Google the chance to get ahead of its rivals by showcasing its latest AI advances — and the personal devices designed to run them. But amid a crowded market and trust issues, how can Google really wow us?

There are two key developments to look out for at Google I/O that may answer that question: smart glasses and agentic AI.

What will Google add to the smart glasses market?

Google is expected to debut its AI-powered Android XR smart glasses, rivaling Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. Google first teased the return of smart glasses at its I/O keynote in 2024 (remember Google Glasses?). Last year, the company showed off a Gemini-powered prototype version, which Abrar Al-Heeti, CNET’s senior tech reporter, tested at Mobile World Congress. Al-Heeti was especially impressed by the Google Maps demo, which provided directions based on a picture she viewed through the glasses, as well as the ability to look at a vinyl album cover and ask Gemini to play a song from it.

Sounds cool, but are Gemini-powered smart glasses the ones you’ll want to wear all day, every day, as Google hopes? Considering that Meta already dominates the smart glasses space, it’s a tall order.

Earlier this year, Counterpoint Research reported that the smart glasses market grew 139% year over year in the second half of 2025, compared to 2024. And Meta’s smart glasses are to credit for the growth. Counterpoint Research told CNET that the smart glasses market is still in its early stage, but that Meta currently leads the market in both smart glasses and VR headsets. Keep in mind that Apple is targeting the same market with its Vision Pro, and there’s speculation about smart glasses for the brand, too. But Google has the advantage. 

“Both companies [Meta and Apple] currently adopt [a] relatively closed OS strategy, while Google is taking an open-platform approach. Google’s advantage lies in its established Android OEM ecosystem and broader optionality,” Flora Tang, a principal analyst at Counterpoint Research, said. That gives Google a chance to expand its ecosystem with partners and use Gemini across devices. Despite the advantage, Google has to get a few functions up and running right for developers and consumers. 

Tang pointed to several steps Google needs to take to compete with Meta. The company needs to showcase low-latency AI experiences that represent meaningful advances (reducing the lag between a prompt and the AI’s response). Google needs to expand on the integrations it showed off last week for Android 17, including having useful cross-device workflows and addressing the rising security and privacy concerns that have grown with smart glasses over the past couple of years. And if Google wants to dominate the market, its smart glasses will need to support iOS — just like Meta’s do. 

Even though Android XR smart glasses are gaining popularity ahead of the announcement, CNET’s artificial intelligence reporter, Katelyn Chedraoui, adds another point: Google needs to build user trust.

“The popularity of smart glasses has taken a huge hit lately, with a new class action lawsuit against Meta raising important privacy questions. While Google is not Meta, it will still have to work hard to reassure people that its Android XR glasses and any potential AI integrations are useful, not creepy,” says Chedraoui. 

What’s in store for Gemini?

It feels like Gemini is everywhere Google is, from search to Android devices, apps and features. It was previously built as generative AI, but Google is diving into agentic AI with Agentic Vision through Gemini Flash 3 with its “Think, Act, Observe” loop. But that may just be the beginning. 

Chedraoui expects agentic AI to be a big focus at Google I/O. We saw how Google is using Gemini AI agents in Android 17, but she predicts we could see other forms of AI, as last year’s Google I/O did, which kick-started the AI video race. However, we’re way past the initial awe phase, so Chedraoui is looking out for practical, meaningful AI applications that make our lives easier. 

“Tech companies have decided that agentic AI is the future of AI development, and Google is helping lead that charge. I fully expect we’ll hear Google talk about agentic AI at I/O,” says Chedraoui. 

Chedraoui says she hopes Google’s agentic AI will remain focused on specific use cases, arguing that AI designed to do everything can also be more easily misused — even if it’s genuinely helpful in many situations. One big development could be a coding tool to compete with Codex and Claude Code for software development and tech companies. We already get a glimpse of this in Gemini Flash 3, where the model can create and execute Python code to analyze and alter images in its query. For everyday use, agentic AI requires us to trust an AI-powered chatbot, but nearly half of US adults aren’t fans of AI. 

An NBC News survey found that nearly half (46%) of Americans view AI negatively. AI even ranked less favorable than political topics, including US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris. 

“A lot of agentic AI requires you to put your trust into what is essentially an AI-powered bot. That may be fine for menial tasks, but if we want to use AI agents for more crucial tasks — particularly shopping and handing over purchase decisions to AI — we need ironclad safety guarantees,” says Chedraoui.

We’ll have to wait and see what Google announces at I/O and what developers think, but in the meantime, between Gemini’s new chat capabilities, Google’s evolving vision for smart glasses and its latest health-focused AI efforts, the company is clearly laying out where it sees the future heading.