Google has released Nano Banana 2.1, an image generation and editing model that replaces Nano Banana 2 and cuts prices by roughly half. Matthias Bastian reports for The Decoder that the new model is based on Gemini 3.6 Flash and is rolling out across Google’s consumer and business AI products. Google says Nano Banana 2.1 …
Google plans to restrict access to several Gemini models for free users and subscribers to its AI Plus plan, beginning October 9. Abner Li reports for 9to5Google that people using the Gemini app without a paid Google AI plan will only be able to use Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite. They will lose access to Gemini 3.6 …
Google DeepMind’s Gemini 4 Argon has reached the top tier of major AI models in a new independent benchmark, matching OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra on overall intelligence. Artificial Analysis reports that Argon scores 53 out of 100 on the organization’s Intelligence Index when used with its highest reasoning setting. The result places Google among the three …
Google has introduced Gemini 4 Argon, a new frontier AI model designed for long, complex tasks in software development, professional research, and cybersecurity. The company is initially making the model available to a small group of trusted cyber defenders through its Fairwind Program, rather than releasing it broadly at launch. Google says Argon can handle …
Google plans to replace Gems, its custom versions of Gemini, with a skills feature beginning November 17, 2026. Abner Li reports for 9to5Google that the company has added a notice to the Gems manager saying it will automatically start moving users’ existing Gems to skills on that date. Users will still be able to use …
Malicious actors are using fake web content to push scam phone numbers, email addresses, and login pages into answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overview, according to security researchers. Ariel Simon writes on Medium that his team found attacks affecting 374 companies, including airlines, banks, travel platforms, and software providers. The reported targets include …
Google is adding Live Avatar, an animated on-screen persona, to Gemini 3.8 Live for Gemini Enterprise customers. The feature lets users speak with the AI while an avatar lip-syncs its answers and changes facial expressions in real time. Emma Roth reports for The Verge that the feature is currently limited to Google’s enterprise offering. Organizations …
Google has released Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS and Gemini 3.8 Flash-Lite TTS, two text-to-speech models designed to create more expressive and controllable synthetic speech in more than 100 languages. Leland Rechis and Alan Cowen announce the models for Google in an official blog post. Flash TTS targets projects that need custom character voices and detailed …
Google has launched Gemini 3.8 Live and Gemini 3.8 Live Extended Thinking, two AI models designed for real-time spoken conversations, voice agents, and tasks that combine speech, visual input, and tool use. Tom Ouyang and Malini Jaganathan announce the models for Google’s official blog. Gemini 3.8 Live targets applications that need to serve many users …
Google has released Gemini 3.8 Flash, a new general purpose AI model aimed at software development, autonomous agents, and complex reasoning tasks. The company is also introducing Gemini 3.8 Flash Cyber, a specialized version for vulnerability detection and code patching that will initially be limited to approved defensive security organizations. Gemini 3.8 Flash replaces the …