Google's biggest developer conference, Google I/O 2025, will take place on May 20-21 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The event will showcase product announcements from across Google's portfolio, covering Android, Chrome, Google Search, YouTube, and, of course, updates to the company's AI-powered chatbot, Gemini.
Gemini and AI
AI continues to be the leading technology of the year, and Google, like its competitors, has been heavily investing in this area. One of the most anticipated updates at I/O 2025 is the launch of a new version of Google’s Gemini AI model. Leaks suggest that the company will unveil the Gemini Ultra model, which will likely be one of the most powerful versions in the Gemini lineup, with a higher price point.
Additionally, Google may introduce two new subscription tiers for Gemini: Premium Plus and Premium Pro. These plans are expected to offer additional features and capabilities, but details on pricing and benefits are yet to be confirmed.
Other key AI projects, like Astra and Project Mariner, will also be discussed at I/O. Astra focuses on building real-time, multimodal AI applications and "agents," while Project Mariner enables AI agents to navigate the web and take actions on behalf of users.
Android 16
For the first time, Google will host a dedicated event for Android updates called "The Android Show," taking place ahead of I/O. Android 16 will take center stage during this event, with a new design language, Material 3 Expressive, which aims to provide a more responsive interface with enhanced "action elements." Notable features in Android 16 include improved notifications, Auracast support for easier Bluetooth device switching, lock screen widgets, and a range of new accessibility features.
Google may also showcase new updates for Android XR, the company’s mixed reality operating system, and Wear OS, the software for wearables.
Other Announcements
Aside from Android and Gemini updates, I/O 2025 will feature sessions on Google Chrome, Google Cloud, Google Play, and Android development tools. Last year, Google unveiled AI models tailored for educational use, like LearnLM. This year, the company may reveal updates to its viral podcast-generating tool, NotebookLM, and introduce a new "Video Overviews" feature, likely powered by Google’s Veo 2 video-generation model.
Google I/O 2025 promises to be an exciting event, with many new developments in AI and Android that will shape the future of technology.
