Google I/O 2026 We just wrapped up, and as expected, almost every major announcement during this year’s keynote revolved around Gemini. From the new Gemini models to a Gemini-powered shopping cart that can track prices and deals for you, almost everything Google announced had Gemini integrated in some way.
I really haven’t been too convinced by Google’s Gemini push in recent I/O events. I found many of the performances interesting on stage, but they never had a significant impact on my daily life. But I/O 2026 felt a little different. Google has now integrated Gemini much more deeply into its core products, and some of the new features really seem like they could save users a lot of time.
Gemini is slowly becoming the artificial intelligence assistant that Google always wanted
Since Google announced Gemini, the company has been trying to position it as the replacement for the original Google Assistant. But after I/O 2026, it finally looks like that transition is actually happening. Google introduced something called Gemini Sparkwhich is essentially a personal AI agent that can run 24/7 in the background and take actions on your behalf.
And these actions are not limited to your device. Since Gemini Spark runs in the cloud, it can continue working even after you close your laptop or lock your phone. For example, you can ask it to monitor your credit card bills for suspicious charges or track updates from your child’s school and summarize important information directly in Gmail.
It works somewhat similar to projects like OpenClaw, although Google still doesn’t allow local browsing, messaging, or sending emails directly through Spark. The company says those features will come later. Google also emphasized that Spark will not perform important actions such as spending money or sending emails without explicit user approval.
In addition to this, Google also introduced a new function called Daily Summary. It works similarly to the Daily Hub on the Pixel 10 series, bringing together updates from Gmail, Calendar, and other Google apps into a more digestible overview. It can automatically prioritize tasks based on your goals and even suggest immediate next steps.
Both Gemini Spark and Daily Brief are starting to roll out to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US.
Gemini will now edit videos for you
Gemini can already generate images and edit photos, but now Google is going much further with video. Replacing the old Veo brand, the company introduced Gemini Omni, which brings conversational video editing directly to Gemini.
For example, you can simply type things like “cinematically zoom this clip” or “swap the background” and Gemini will edit the video automatically.
What makes Gemini Omni even more interesting is that it supports multiple input types at once. You can combine text, images, videos and even audio into a final result. For example, you can provide a still image, an audio track, and a visual effect message and then ask Gemini to generate an entire video using them all together.
Since Omni is based on Gemini’s reasoning architecture, Google says it has a much better understanding of real-world physics and motion, including things like gravity, motion, and object interaction, making the generated videos appear more realistic overall.
For now, Google launches the first model of the Omni family called Gemini Omni Flash. It is rolling out to Google AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers via the Gemini app. Google also says that users will be able remix YouTube shorts using Gemini Omni starting this week.
Gemini can now track deals and price drops across the web for you
One of the best features Google announced today, at least in my opinion, is the new Universal cart with Gemini engine. The feature works across different retailers and Google services, and once you add products to the cart while browsing Search or chatting with Gemini, it starts working in the background automatically.
Google says Universal Cart will track price drops, monitor stock availability, display price history information, and even notify you when a product is back in stock.
What makes him even more interesting is how intelligent he appears to be. For example, if you’re building a custom PC, Gemini can understand compatibility behind the scenes and prevent you from adding incompatible components to your cart. And if something doesn’t work, it will automatically suggest alternative products. You can also analyze the cards you have saved in Google Wallet and recommend the best payment method to maximize cashback, rewards or savings.
Another big advantage is that it works across multiple retailers instead of locking it into a single store. So whether you add products from Amazon, WalmartNike or Target, everything is tracked in one universal cart.
Universal Cart is expected to begin rolling out later this summer, though only in the US for now.
Google Search is becoming very different
For years, the Google search box has basically been a place where you type questions and get results from the web. But at I/O 2026, Google announced some big changes to Search that could dramatically change the way people use it in the future.
Search is no longer limited to text only. Google says users will now be able to combine text, images, videos, and even Chrome tabs into a single search query. Search is also getting something called Search Agents, which work somewhat similar to Gemini Spark. These agents can run in the background 24/7 and keep track of the information you care about.
For example, you can create a search agent to monitor a stock you’re interested in or continually search for properties in a specific area within a given budget and size range.
Google is also introducing custom dashboards and trackers for ongoing tasks. The company describes them as custom “mini-apps” built around your own workflows, whether planning a wedding, tracking nutrition goals, or managing long-term projects. Google says these agents and applets will begin rolling out later this summer, initially for AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the US.
Gmail finally gets the conversational AI search it needed
If you’ve ever wondered why Gmail still feels stuck on old-school keyword search even though Google pushes conversational AI everywhere else, Google is finally changing that at I/O 2026.
The company has introduced a new feature called Gmail livewhich allows users to perform conversational searches in their inbox instead of typing traditional keywords. For example, you could simply ask something like “Find the flight number for my flight today” and Gmail will pull the relevant information directly.
Additionally, Google is also expanding the The AI Inbox experience was first introduced earlier this year. Basically, the feature turns Gmail into a more personalized dashboard for tasks, updates, and important information using Gemini. Google says the expanded AI Inbox experience will now also roll out to Google AI Plus and AI Pro subscribers.
