Google I/O 2026 adds new Gemini models and AI features in Search and Gmail

In short: Google used its I/O 2026 event to announce new Gemini AI models and a set of new AI features across Search, Gmail, shopping, and smart glasses.

What happened

Google introduced Gemini 3.5, starting with Gemini 3.5 Flash, which becomes the default AI model in the Gemini app and in AI Mode in Search. Google said it is faster and includes stronger safety checks, meant to reduce harmful outputs and reduce false alarms when people ask normal questions.

Google also announced Gemini Omni, a new set of models focused on media. The first version, Omni Flash, can create short video clips from mixed inputs like text, photos, video, and audio (like giving directions using more than one clue, instead of only a typed prompt).

Several consumer features are changing too. Search will accept more types of input, including images, files, videos, and even Chrome tabs, and it will offer “information agents” that track a topic and send summarized updates. Gmail is getting Gmail Live, which lets you ask your inbox questions by voice and receive extracted answers, like quickly finding a hotel confirmation code without digging through long threads.

Google showed updates to Project Aura smart glasses and said new Android XR glasses from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster are coming this fall. It also announced a Universal Cart that lets people add items from places like Search, YouTube, Gemini, and Gmail, then check out across multiple stores at once.

Why it matters

These updates push more AI into everyday Google tools people already use, like Search and Gmail. For regular users, that could mean less time spent hunting for information, comparing products, or rewriting messages, but it also means more reliance on automated summaries and suggestions.

Source: The Verge AI