Google's I/O 2025 developer conference showcased just how quickly the AI arms race has intensified, with new modality now deeply woven into every layer of consumer and enterprise technology. The company delivered a torrent of announcements, including the broad rollout of AI Mode in Search, new capabilities for its Gemini models featuring Gemini 2.5 Pro with Deep Think, the AI filmmaking tool Flow, realistic video with Veo 3, and a new premium $250/month AI Ultra subscription plan.
Search gets smarter: Google Search evolved as AI Mode became broadly available in the U.S. It provides a chat-like interface powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.5. The company's latest Gemini 2.5 Flash and Pro models will soon be available, and the Pro model gets a new reasoning mode called Deep Think. Google shared that its Gemini app now has over 400 million monthly active users, and AI Overviews in Search reach 1.5 billion users monthly.
Creative AI unleashed: Google introduced new generative AI tools, including Flow, an AI filmmaking tool, built on the new Veo 3 engine, that adds audio capabilities to near-movie-quality video generation. The company also unveiled Imagen 4, its latest image generator, which provides better text rendering and image quality. These tools give creators advanced AI-driven media production capabilities.
Premium AI plans: For its most advanced offerings, Google introduced Google AI Ultra, a new $250-a-month subscription. The plan provides its most powerful AI agents and models, tools like Flow, YouTube Premium, and 30TB of cloud storage. The Ultra plan is priced above the standard $20-a-month Google AI Pro plan, and some observers noted its high price point.
Hardware horizons: Google showed an early prototype of its Android XR glasses, which have search, photo-taking, and live translation features. Samsung, Warby Parker, and Gentle Monster are partners for these glasses. The company also rebranded its 3D video conferencing technology, Project Starline, as Google Beam, with HP as a hardware partner.
Google's goal is clearly to improve its core products through AI without disrupting its advertising and search businesses. The volume of announcements and a reported 50-fold increase in token processing across its products and APIs last year show the company's commitment to integrating AI across every modality.