From Aluminium OS to Gemini Omni: The biggest AI upgrades expected at Google I/O 2026

Google I/O is all set to kick off tomorrow, where the company will showcase some of its biggest AI upgrades of the year. Just like last year, Google held the Android Show separately, where it showcased the latest features coming to Android 17 including Gemini Intelligence, Google Chrome’s AI integration, the Rambler AI tool inside Gboard, and Googlebooks.

While Google has continued to stay mum on the new AI features it could introduce at I/O 2026, various leaks have given us a good idea of what to expect from one of the tech giant’s biggest events of the year.

Top upgrades expected from I/O 2026:

1) Gemini 4.0:

Google last launched its Gemini 3.1 Pro model back in February 2026 and it’s about time for the company to get back into the AI chatbot race, which has seen various new entrants ranging from GPT-5.5 to Claude Opus 4.7 and Anthropic’s upcoming Mythos model.

It’s not entirely clear what the new AI model could be called, but a new model launch is more or less par for the course at this point. Google had also launched Gemini 2.5 Pro at I/O last year.

Google has also reportedly been blind-testing various AI models dubbed Ajax, Hercules, Hector, and Orpheus, which are likely internal codenames before the models are released to the public.

2) Gemini Spark:

As per a report by 9to5Google, the tech giant is looking to add more advanced agentic AI capabilities to the Gemini app. The new capabilities could be branded as ‘Gemini Spark’ and allow the chatbot to complete tasks on behalf of users.

With the upgrade, Gemini could reportedly automate tasks like decluttering inboxes by summarising or archiving newsletters, preparing meeting briefs, and creating personalised news digests that track stories over time.

3) Gemini Omni:

There have also been leaks about Google testing a new video generation model called ‘Gemini Omni’. The new model was spotted after a user on Reddit posted a screenshot showing Gemini Omni appearing inside the app.

The description for the new model read: “Meet our new video generation model. Remix your videos, edit directly in chat, try a template, and more.”

4) Gemini Live:

A report by Forbes found that Google is internally testing a number of new AI models for Gemini Live, which it says were discovered via a hidden selector inside the Google app.

The report notes that there are measurable differences between these models, with some able to access live weather and location data while others offer stronger memory and context awareness.

One model, codenamed ‘Capybara’, also identifies itself as ‘Gemini 3.1 Pro’ instead of the Flash model Google typically uses.

5) Aluminium OS:

Google already unveiled its Googlebooks at the Android Show and now it may be time for the company to reveal the operating system running them.

Aluminium OS has reportedly been in the works for a while and is expected to be a desktop-focused operating system that essentially brings Android to bigger screens.

Ahead of the Android Show, a 16-minute leaked video reportedly showed off Aluminium OS with various desktop-style features, including desktop folders, virtual desktops, an optimised Quick Settings panel, a redesigned notification interface, and tighter ecosystem connectivity.

The UI also included a bottom app dock, an app drawer, task manager-style tools, and workspace switching through virtual desktops.