Google’s largest annual developer event, Google I/O, will take place May 20-21 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, promising major announcements across the company’s extensive product range. Attendees can expect significant updates regarding Android, Chrome, Google Search, YouTube, and Google’s flagship AI chatbot system, Gemini.
In advance of I/O, this week Google ran a separate event called The Android Show, dedicated exclusively to Android developments. Notable announcements included advanced functionalities for locating lost Android phones and other personal items, enhancements to Google’s Advanced Protection security program, new protective tools against scams and theft-related risks, and the introduction of a refreshed visual approach named Material 3 Expressive.
Artificial intelligence is anticipated to be central to Google’s 2025 showcase. The spotlight is likely to be on the Gemini family of AI models, anchored by the sophisticated Gemini Ultra. Recent leaks suggest Gemini Ultra is due for a substantial upgrade soon, and speculation indicates Google might introduce higher-priced tiers to its Gemini subscription alongside existing offerings. Currently, Gemini Advanced subscribers pay $20 per month for additional chatbot capabilities. However, new premium tiers—rumored to be labeled Premium Plus and Premium Pro—could debut soon, potentially offering enhanced functionality at yet-to-be-announced prices.
Also heavily anticipated are updates on Astra, Google’s ambitious initiative aimed at creating multimodal, real-time AI applications and digital agents, and Project Mariner, a closely-watched effort to develop AI agents capable of navigating the internet and performing digital tasks on users’ behalf. Industry watchers recently discovered references to “Computer Use” features within Google’s AI Studio platform, possibly hinting at Project Mariner integrations.
Beyond Gemini and broader AI developments, the official Google I/O schedule alludes to additional presentations focusing on Chrome and Google Cloud, the Google Play ecosystem, Android developer tools, and Gemma, Google’s series of open-source-oriented AI models.
Google’s penchant for unveiling surprise enhancements could carry into this year’s I/O. Last year saw the introduction of specialized models tailored for education applications (LearnLM), and this year might continue the trend. A potential upgrade drawing attention involves NotebookLM, Google’s podcast-generation tool. Leaked code suggests an upcoming “Video Overviews” capability, potentially leveraging Google’s video-producing AI model, Veo 2, to generate short, informative video summaries.
With the array of previously announced and forthcoming innovations, Google I/O 2025 will offer significant reveals across AI, Android, and Google’s broader technological ecosystems.
