Google releases Gemini 3.5 Flash globally, claims it's 'strongest agentic and coding model yet'

Google released Gemini 3.5 Flash at its I/O 2026 developer conference on May 19, immediately deploying it as the default model powering AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app globally. The company claims the model represents its "strongest agentic and coding model yet," though specific benchmark scores were not disclosed.

Model release details

Gemini 3.5 Flash is the first model in Google's 3.5 series, with Gemini 3.5 Pro scheduled for release in June 2026. According to Google, the model can help developers complete tasks "in a fraction of the time, often at less than half the cost of other frontier models," though the company did not provide specific pricing per million tokens.

The model is now available in AI Mode in Search, the Gemini app, and various developer tools including Google Antigravity. Google says data scientists have been using the model to extract insights from complex data.

Safety improvements

Google claims Gemini 3.5 is less likely to generate harmful material or incorrectly refuse legitimate queries. The company says it employs "more advanced safety measures," including checks on the model's reasoning before generating responses. No specific benchmarks for these safety improvements were provided.

Search overhaul and AI agents

Google announced a comprehensive redesign of its Search box, calling it "the biggest upgrade to our Search box in 25 years." The new intelligent Search box accepts text, images, files, videos, and Chrome tabs as inputs, and is rolling out in all languages and countries where AI Mode is available.

The company is introducing "information agents" that can monitor blogs, news sites, social media, real estate listings, and real-time data on finance, sports, and shopping. These agents will be available to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers this summer.

Additionally, Google is deploying agentic booking features in Search for all US users this summer. The system can explore availability and pricing for services, and in some categories including beauty, pet care, and home repair, can call local businesses on behalf of users.

Generative UI and coding tools

Google is integrating its Antigravity tool into Search to enable users to generate custom visualizations, tables, graphs, and simulations at no charge. The feature will be available to all users this summer.

AI Pro and Ultra users will also gain access to generate mini apps for tasks like wedding planning and fitness tracking, with Antigravity able to pull in Google data including weather, maps, and reviews.

Personal Intelligence expansion

Google expanded its Personal Intelligence feature, which allows Gemini to access information from Gmail, Google Photos, and soon Google Calendar, to 98 languages across nearly 200 countries and territories. The feature was previously made free for US users in March 2026.

What this means

Google's aggressive push of AI features into Search represents a fundamental shift in how the company expects users to interact with web information. The move to make Gemini 3.5 Flash the default model in AI Mode globally signals confidence in the model's capabilities, though the lack of disclosed benchmarks or pricing makes direct comparisons with competing models difficult. The expansion of AI agents and generative UI tools positions Google to compete directly with specialized AI assistants, though the impact on web publishers who have already seen traffic declines from AI Overviews remains a concern.