Google's artificial intelligence 2026

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.