I was fortunate enough to attend the Google IO 2026 in person, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts on what was announced.
AI is everywhere
The most obvious takeaway from the entire Google IO was that AI is 100% Google's focus now. Every single product that was announced during the main keynote had some sort of AI component to it. From the new AI-powered search features to the AI-powered code generation tools, it's clear that Google is betting big on AI.
From one side, it's exciting to see how AI is being integrated into so many different products and services. On the other hand, I also think that everyone is a bit tired of hearing about AI all the time. It's like every company is trying to jump on the AI bandwagon, and it's getting a bit overwhelming. However, I do think that Google is doing a good job of integrating AI in a way that is actually useful and not just a gimmick.
When I first started watching Google IO during my teenage years, it was all about new hardware and software products. Android was at the core of it, and new features for products like Google Workspace, Google Maps, and Google Photos were the main focus. As an early aspiring software engineer, I was always excited to see what new tools and frameworks Google would announce for developers. However, this year, it felt like the focus was much more on the end-user experience and how AI can enhance it, rather than on the developer tools. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does signal a shift in Google's priorities.
AI-powered search
One of the biggest announcements during the keynote was the new AI-powered search features. Google is now using AI to generate more comprehensive and accurate search results, and it's also using AI to generate summaries of web pages. This is a huge step forward for search, and it will make it much easier for users to find the information they need. However, it is also a bit concerning given that:
- How will this affect SEO and the way content creators optimize their content for search engines?
- Will this lead to more misinformation and fake news being spread, as AI-generated content can be easily manipulated?
Search and ads are the two main sources of revenue for Google, and if AI is generating more content, it could potentially lead to a decrease in ad revenue. However, I think that Google will find a way to monetize this new AI-powered search feature, and it will likely be through some sort of subscription model or premium service.
AI-powered code generation
There was some focus on Google's antigravity efforts and how they are changing the app to look more like Codex instead of a full IDE - actually even VSCode, which is the code editor that I use is going over a redesign as well. I personally don't use antigravity, but I think that this is an interesting approach to it, and it shows that Google is trying to make a paradigm shift in how developers interact with code generation tools. Instead of having a full IDE that is designed for human developers, they are trying to create a more lightweight and agentic tool that is designed for AI agents. This is an interesting approach, and it will be interesting to see how it evolves over time.
The new models
Of course, there were also announcements about their new models. Personally, Gemini Omni is the most interesting one, as it is a multimodal model that can understand and generate text, images, and videos. According to Google, it is supposed to be their most complete model yet, and it will be interesting to see how it performs in real-world applications. The fact that it is multimodal also opens up a lot of possibilities for how it can be used, and I think that we will see some really innovative applications of this model in the near future.
Conclusion
Overall, I think that Google IO 2026 was different from previous years in that it was much more focused on the end-user experience and how AI can enhance it, rather than on the developer tools. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does signal a shift in Google's priorities. It will be interesting to see how this shift affects the developer community and how it will shape the future of software development.
a cool coffee i made with my happy place, Brazil