Google news

Google DeepMind has published new research on AI safety, specifically testing if its Gemini models exhibit "scheming" behavior. The studies evaluate whether the models would sabotage their own safeguards, a crucial concern as AI agents become more autonomous and integrated into critical systems.

Google has updated its open-source AI framework, Genkit, with a new middleware architecture. This feature provides a programmable layer for developers to intercept and control model calls and tool execution, enhancing reliability, safety, and orchestration for production-level AI applications.

AI company Anthropic has acquired Stainless, a New York-based developer tools startup. As part of the deal, Stainless will wind down its hosted products. The startup's tools were used by major tech companies, including competitors like OpenAI, Google, and Cloudflare, to streamline development processes.

Google has announced Gemini Spark, a personal AI agent designed to operate 24/7, even when devices are off. It can draft emails, manage documents, and monitor inboxes, with future plans to handle purchases. This marks Google's push towards more autonomous AI assistants amid intense industry competition.

Google announced a major overhaul of its search box at I/O. The new search bar will be more than a query tool; it aims to be an all-in-one assistant. It will dynamically expand for longer queries and offer advanced AI-powered suggestions that go beyond simple autocomplete.

Google is integrating AI-generated summaries, called AI Overviews, directly into its main search results. This feature is now the default for users in the U.S., with a global rollout planned. The goal is to provide direct, synthesized answers for complex questions, fundamentally changing the traditional search experience.

Google is updating its search box for the first time since 2001, integrating AI to make it larger and more interactive. Users can now ask longer questions, upload media like photos and videos, and use a chatbot for follow-ups directly on the main search page.

Google now allows developers to use third-party AI models, including OpenAI's GPT and Anthropic's Claude, directly within Android Studio. This move, announced at Google I/O, gives developers more choice beyond Google's own Gemini model, offering greater flexibility over performance, privacy, and cost for app development.

Google's SynthID, a technology for watermarking AI-generated content, is being adopted by major players like OpenAI and Nvidia. The tool has already been used to label 100 billion images and videos, aiming to help users distinguish between real and synthetic media as AI content improves.

Google has released new Android command-line tools to support the growing use of AI coding agents. These tools are designed to integrate with AI platforms like Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex, enabling developers and their AI assistants to build and manage Android applications more efficiently.

Google has announced Gemini 3.5 Flash, a new AI model designed for speed and efficiency. The company claims it offers high-level intelligence comparable to larger models but at a lower cost. It is now available for developers through platforms like the Vercel AI Gateway and across Google products.

Google DeepMind has enhanced its Genie world model by integrating it with Street View. This allows the AI to create interactive, explorable simulations of real-world environments, aiming to advance applications in robotics, gaming, and virtual travel by simulating various conditions and scenarios.

Google has introduced a new $100/month AI Ultra plan, positioning it between its existing tiers. The company also reduced its top-tier plan from $250 to $200 and is shifting from prompt limits to a compute-used model, aligning its pricing structure with major competitors.

At its I/O conference, Google announced plans to make Chrome and the web 'agent-ready.' The initiative introduces new features and specifications designed to help AI agents interact with websites, signaling a fundamental shift for developers in how web applications will be built and used.

Google is reportedly developing a new AI agent named Remy, designed to perform actions on a user's behalf. According to unconfirmed reports, Remy is being tested internally with Gemini and can integrate with other Google services. The company has not officially commented on the project's existence.