Google just announced Gemini Spark at Google I/O 2026, and it might be the most genuinely useful AI feature the company has ever shown off. Unlike most AI tools that wait on you, Gemini Spark takes a task and runs with it, handling multiple steps in the background without you having to babysit it.
The biggest benefit of Gemini Spark is that it runs on dedicated virtual machines, so once you assign a task to it, you don’t have to keep your laptop or computer open. You can close it and move away from the desk while Gemini Spark executes the task in the background.
What makes Gemini Spark different from every other AI tool?
Gemini Spark is powered by the latest Gemini 3.5 model and Google’s Antigravity harness. They allow Gemini Spark to run longer tasks in the background.
When you ask Gemini Spark to perform a task, it breaks it down into steps, works across your apps, and handles everything in the background without you having to stay involved. You hand it a job and walk away.
It can pull information from your emails, documents, and chats simultaneously, so it always has the full picture. It can draft content, use custom “skills” you upload, update files in real time as new information comes in, and manage follow-ups on your behalf.
Currently, Gemini Spark works only with Google’s in-house apps (think Gmail, Drive, Docs, etc.), but in the future, Gemini Spark will also integrate with third-party tools, allowing users more freedom.
When will it be available?
Google is rolling out Gemini Spark to trusted testers first, followed by a beta release for Google AI Ultra subscribers. Google has also introduced a new AI Ultra plan for $100/month to make it more accessible. It’s also dropping the price of its premium AI Ultra plan from $250/month to $200/month.
Later this year, Spark will also work directly inside Google Chrome as a browser agent, and Google is building a dedicated home for agents on Android called Android Halo.
It is still early days, and Google has been careful to say as much. But if Gemini Spark delivers on even half of what the demo showed, it could finally be the AI assistant worth getting excited about.
