This was Google's week.

Scroll down and you'll see it. The roundup is almost all Google, with barely anything from anyone else. They had their annual "I/O" developer conference and shipped a ton.

While the stuff they released is impressive, what I took away is this:

Google doesn't need you to choose them.

Remember last week? We talked about OpenAI dropping side projects to focus on coding and enterprise to gain back traction from Anthropic. Well, Google didn't get that memo.

Because Google already has you. Search, Gmail, Docs, Android... even with AI changing things, you still use Google without even thinking about it.

So while I/O was still very much about AI releases, it wasn't a desperate "come to Google" pitch.

Right now, they don't need the top models to lure you in. Instead they're choosing to keep competitive and put AI deeper into everything you already use. Oh, and also drop some cool creative and agent tools on top of that.

Even if you use ChatGPT or Claude, you're almost guaranteed to use Gemini too.

- Riley

PS: I couldn't fit everything Google shipped into one email, check it out here.

This week's top updates

Google

6 drops

MODEL May 19

Gemini 3.5 Pro

New top tier Gemini model, currently in testing and available broadly next month.

Best for: Deep reasoning and complex agentic workflows that 3.5 Flash can't handle reliably
When to use it: Your task needs frontier reasoning or agent-driven action
Who benefits: Developers and Gemini app users on all plans.

View details

FEATURE May 19

Gemini Spark

A 24/7 personal AI agent inside the Gemini app that takes actions on your behalf.

Best for: Outsourcing recurring digital tasks to a proactive agent
When to use it: You want Gemini to monitor your inbox, docs, and calendar and act under your direction
Who benefits: Gemini app users on Google AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra plans

+ Request a lesson View details

FEATURE May 19

Gmail Live, Docs Live, and Voice in Keep

Conversational voice and chat layer across Gmail, Docs, and Keep in Google Workspace.

Best for: Drafting, searching, and editing in Workspace without leaving the interface or going to a separate chat
When to use it: You want to search your inbox or build a doc by talking instead of clicking
Who benefits: Workspace users on Pro and Ultra tiers

+ Request a lesson View details

MODEL May 19

Gemini Omni

New multimodal video generation model, that can also create custom avatars from your own voice and likeness.

Best for: Creating videos or using avatars that look and sound like you
When to use it: You need to create or edit video content
Who benefits: Google AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers using the Gemini app

+ Request a lesson View details

FEATURE May 19

Pomelli Agentic Brand Tools

Google's free AI Marketing tool gains AI agents that build brand books and launch websites end-to-end.

Best for: Small teams that need a brand kit and site without hiring a designer
When to use it: You're standing up a new brand, product, or campaign and need both identity and a site
Who benefits: Solo founders, small marketing teams, and side-project builders

+ Request a lesson View details

FEATURE May 19

Universal Cart

Gemini-powered shopping cart that aggregates items across retailers, finds deals, and flags incompatibilities.

Best for: Buying across multiple retailers without juggling browser tabs
When to use it: You're comparing items, hunting deals, or buying a coordinated set
Who benefits: Anyone who shops across Google's product graph

View details

Anthropic

1 drop

FEATURE May 18

Claude Design Token Limits Doubled

Token allowances for Claude Design have doubled across every paid plan, letting users generate more visual work before hitting their cap.

Best for: Designers and marketers who use Claude Design for mockups, prototypes, and slides and routinely hit their plan ceiling.
When to use it: Open Claude Design instead of working around a previous token cap. Heavier iteration on a single deliverable is now possible without a plan upgrade.
Who benefits: Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers using Claude Design for visual deliverables.

+ Request a lesson View details

Manus

1 drop

FEATURE May 18

Manus Scheduled Tasks 2.0

Recurring tasks in Manus now persist context across runs, can trigger background actions inside Manus-built web apps, and surface a calendar view of upcoming and past runs.

Best for: Recurring agent workflows where each run depends on prior state, like rolling reports, dashboard refreshes, or monitoring jobs.
When to use it: Replace ad hoc cron-style triggers when context staleness between runs is a problem you hit.
Who benefits: Operators, analysts, and builders running recurring Manus tasks.

+ Request a lesson View details

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