Google announced a ton of new products and features at I/O, the company's annual developer conference.
We've compiled a full list of everything announced, but in case you heard about that jaw-dropping $250 a month AI Ultra plan, you might be wondering which of this stuff is actually free.
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Many of the new state-of-the-art tools are bundled into the AI Ultra plan (or the AI Pro plan, which is $20 a month). But for the more casual AI user, Google also has some cool new features you can try right now. Here's a roundup of all the free AI features from Google I/O.
AI Mode comes to Search
The public release of AI Mode in Search was one of the big announcements at yesterday's keynote. Many of the features Google touted are free, which makes sense since Google, like most search engines, is free. As of Tuesday, Google has started rolling out AI Mode in the U.S., meaning users will start to see a tab at the top of the page that takes you to a chatbot interface instead of the traditional list of search results.
That may not sound like a big deal, but it basically signifies the nail in the coffin for traditional search and Google's full-on pivot to AI-powered search. AI Mode is free and available now to users in the U.S.
A Virtual try-on fashion tool and a new shopping experience
Since it's a big part of Google's revenue-driving flywheel, shopping got a lot of airtime with the AI Mode announcement. AI Mode is connected to the Shopping Graph, so you can browse products in a whole new way. Eventually, you'll be able to use an agentic feature to price track and buy a product on your behalf. The agentic shopping tool will also be free (not counting the cost of the purchase) and is rolling out in the coming months.
Google also announced a virtual try-on shopping feature, which Mashable's Haley Henschel described as Cher Horowitz's Clueless closet come to life. That feature is free, but currently only available in Google's testing ground Labs. You can sign up to try the feature yourself. We're also eager to try this tool out IRL, and will report back.
Gemini Live and other features fall outside of the $250 a month price tag
Many of the AI features for the Gemini app require at least a $20 a month subscription to the AI Pro plan, and at most, a $250 a month subscription to the AI Ultra plan. But there were a few free features nestled in the keynote. Gemini Live, which is live chatting with Gemini through camera and screen sharing, is now free and available to Android and iOS users with the Gemini app. With this tool, you can show Gemini the world through your camera and ask questions. Spot a weird bug? Gemini Live can help you identify it. Need to translate a menu? Gemini Live can do it.
A new image model: Imagen 4
Yes, it's pronounced just like "imagine." At the I/O keynote, Google also announced Imagen 4, the latest version of its image generator. To date, we haven't achieved spectacular results with Gemini's image generation tools, and this is another feature we're keen to test out. If you want to play around with the new Imagen 4 model, you can try it online in the Gemini app and the experimental Whisk tool. It's also being integrated into Google Slides, Docs, Vids, and other Workspace products.
Google says Imagen 4 is particularly good at fine textures, such as clothing and other textiles. Here are some of the images Google shared to promote the new model:
Free Gmail features for Google Workspace
Some of the more cutting-edge AI features for Google Workspace like live translation in Google Meet and AI avatars in Google Vids require paid plans. But we also saw some free AI features for Gmail.
That includes personalized Gmail smart replies that match the user's style and tone, automated inbox cleanup with Gemini, and appointment scheduling within emails that pull in availability from your calendar. These free features are rolling out next quarter, so you can't try them out just yet.
Google's coding agent Jules is free... for now
Google released its agentic coding assistant in Labs earlier this year. And now, Jules is available for anyone to try out. The tool is designed to operate "asynchronously," meaning it can do coding for you while you're working on something else.
While in beta, Google says Jules is free, although there are usage limits. Also, it likely won't be free forever. "We expect to introduce pricing after this beta as the platform matures," said Google in the announcement. So if you're curious, try it now before the price hammer drops.
