It’s been a big year for Google AI. It may seem like features like Circle to Search and NotebookLM’s Audio Overviews have been around for as long as you can remember, but they didn’t launch until 2024. Along with them were a number of other product releases and updates meant to make your everyday life — still everyday a little bit easier. So as we say goodbye to 2024 (and prepare for the exciting AI news sure to come in 2025), take a look at some of the best Google AI news that resonated with readers this year.
January
2024 began, fittingly enough, with fresh updates across a wide range of products and tools, including Gemini, Chrome, Pixel and Search. The announcement of our Circle to Search feature made a particular splash among readers. Here were some of the best Google AI news of the month:
- The power of Google AI comes to the new Samsung Galaxy S24 series
- New ways to apply in 2024
- Circle (or highlight or type) to search
- Chrome gets 3 new generative AI features
- New Pixel features for a fresh start to the year
February
February brought a new chapter of our Gemini era, including the debut of Gemini 1.5; the news that Bard was becoming a Gemini; the launch of Gemini Advanced; and more. We also announced new generative AI tools in labs and technology to help developers and researchers build AI responsibly. Here were some of the best Google AI news of the month:
- Our next generation model: Gemini 1.5
- Bard becomes Gemini: Try Ultra 1.0 and a new mobile app today
- The next chapter of our Gemini era
- Gemma: Introducing new state-of-the-art open models
- Try ImageFX and MusicFX, our latest generative AI tools in the Labs
March
Health took center stage in March with our annual Google Health Check Up event to show how AI is helping us connect people with health information and insights that matter to them. Stories about how we’re using AI for good also made the top stories, along with coverage of AI-powered travel tools as readers looked towards summer. Here were some of the best Google AI news of the month:
- Our progress with generative AI in health
- How we use artificial intelligence to connect people to health information
- 6 ways to travel smarter this summer using Google tools
- How we use artificial intelligence for reliable global flood forecasting
- 21 nonprofits join our first generative AI accelerator
April
Spring showers bring … generative artificial intelligence? Many of April’s top stories focused on how useful generative AI can be for different groups of people, including developers, business owners, advertisers and Google Photos users. It was also a big month for AI skills building, thanks to our AI Opportunity Fund and AI Essentials course. Here were some of the best Google AI news of the month:
- AI editing tools are coming to all Google Photos users
- Cloud Next 2024: More momentum with generative AI
- Grow with Google launches new AI Essentials course to help everyone learn how to use AI
- Enhance visual storytelling in Demand Gen with generative AI
- Our latest investments in infrastructure and artificial intelligence
May
May is synonymous with Google I/O around these parts, so it’s no wonder that much of the month’s top news was from our annual developer conference. At this year’s event, we shared how we’re building more useful products and features with artificial intelligence. But even amid all the I/O chatter, Googlers were working on other launches, such as our AlphaFold 3 model, which holds great promise for science and medicine. Here were some of the best Google AI news of the month:
- Google I/O 2024: An I/O for a new generation
- Generative AI in search: Let Google do the searching for you
- 100 things we announced at I/O 2024
- Ask Photos: A new way to search your photos with Gemini
- AlphaFold 3 predicts the structure and interactions of all life’s molecules
June
In June, many of our AI news stories highlighted how this technology can help people in ways both big and small. Stories covered both land (how Google Translate is helping people connect with each other around the world, even if they don’t speak the same language) and sea (how a first-of-its-kind global map of marine infrastructure is creating a better understanding of things like biodiversity ). Here were some of the best Google AI news of the month:
- 110 new languages ​​coming to Google Translate
- Gemma 2 is now available to researchers and developers
- NotebookLM goes global with Slides support and better ways to fact check
- New AI tools for Google Workspace for Education
- Mapping human activity at sea with artificial intelligence
July
July was one of those months that highlights just how many things Googlers are working on at once, with big announcements for Gemini, Google AI capabilities on Samsung devices, our focus on secure AI, and our Olympic partnership with Team USA and NBCUniversal. Here were some of the best Google AI news of the month:
- 4 Google updates coming to Samsung devices
- Gemini’s big upgrade: Faster responses with 1.5 Flash, expanded access and more
- 4 ways Google will appear in NBCUniversal’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games coverage
- Introducing the Coalition for Secure AI (CoSAI) and founding member organizations
- 3 things parents and students told us about how generative AI can support learning
August
August was a key moment for Google hardware thanks to our Made by Google event, along with our Nest Learning Thermostat and Google TV Streamer releases. But software was also in the mix – we’re looking at you, Chrome, Android and Gemini. Here were some of the best Google AI news of the month:
- The new Pixel 9 phones bring you the best of Google AI
- Gemini turns your mobile device into a powerful AI assistant
- Your smart home gets smarter with the help of Gemini
- 3 new Chrome AI features for even more useful browsing
- Android reinvents your phone with Gemini
September
Then came another month that underscored our mission to make AI useful for everyone. Highlights included the launch of Audio Overviews in NotebookLM; the news of a new satellite constellation designed to detect wildfires more quickly; and tips for using Gemini features in Gmail. But that wasn’t all! Here were some of the best Google AI news of the month:
- NotebookLM now lets you listen to a conversation about your sources
- A breakthrough in wildfire detection: How a new constellation of satellites can detect smaller wildfires earlier
- Customers put Gemini to work
- How to use Gemini in Gmail to manage your inbox like a pro
- 5 new Android features to help you explore, search for music and more
October
October featured a number of additional AI updates across products, including Pixel, NotebookLM, Search and Shopping. Additionally, we announced updates to the search ad experiences on Google Marketing Live – helping advertisers use artificial intelligence to reach their customers. Here were some of the best Google AI news of the month:
- October Pixel Drop: Useful improvements for your devices
- New in NotebookLM: Customizing your audio overviews and introducing NotebookLM Business
- Ask questions in new ways with AI in Search
- Google Shopping is getting a big transformation
- New ways for marketers to reach customers with AI Overviews and Lens
November
This month was a time for both work and play, with news including how developers are using the Gemini API and how chess lovers can use AI to recreate their sets. In addition, Christmas preparations were underway with new updates to Google Lens and Shopping. Here were some of the best Google AI news of the month:
- 5 ways to explore chess during the 2024 World Chess Championship
- The Gemini app is now available on iPhone
- New ways to shop on holiday with Google Lens, Maps and more
- How developers use the Gemini API
- Our Machine Learning Crash Course goes deep into generative AI
December
We celebrated the one-year anniversary of our Gemini era by introducing our next, agentic era in AI—brought to life by our newest, most capable model, Gemini 2.0. We also shared groundbreaking quantum chip news and a whole host of new generative AI offerings in Android, Pixel, Gemini, and our developer platforms AI Studio and Vertex AI. It has certainly been a December to remember. Here were some of the best Google AI news of the month:
- Introducing Gemini 2.0: our new AI model for the agency era
- Meet Willow, our state-of-the-art quantum chip
- Android XR: The Gemini era comes to headsets and glasses
- Try Deep Research and our new experimental model in Gemini, your AI assistant
- December Pixel Drop: New features for your Pixel phone, tablet and more
There you have it! Twelve months of the best Google AI news at a glance. And the best: Teams at Google are working hard to keep the momentum going in 2025.