Google AI Updates: May 15, 2026

1. Google launches AI Educator Series for 6 million US teachers

Google. Google launched the AI Educator Series, a free training program built with ISTE+ASCD that targets all 6 million K12 and higher-education educators in the US. Content is split into short modules (10-15 minutes for K12, 30-45 minutes for HiEd) across Foundational Understanding, Pedagogical Applications, and Administrative Applications, with badges/microcredentials and a monthly cadence of new content starting in September. Free Gemini tools sit at the center of the curriculum, making this one of Google’s largest non-product distribution plays for Gemini to date. Source

2. Genkit Middleware v2 turns generate() into a composable pipeline

Google. Google’s Genkit team announced Middleware v2, introducing three orthogonal interception phases (model, tool, generate) for agentic apps built on Genkit. The official @genkit-ai/middleware package ships built-ins for filesystem access, skills, tool approval, retries, and fallbacks, with custom middleware reduced to roughly a 20-line definition via generateMiddleware. Opt-in via a per-call use: array keeps interception explicit rather than introducing global side effects, which is a meaningful improvement for production agent code. Source

3. ‘Gemini Spark’ surfaces as Google’s next agent name in app code

Google. Strings in Google app beta 17.23 reveal Google is rebranding its in-Gemini autonomous agent from “Gemini Agent” to “Gemini Spark,” with a new comet-styled icon that ties the agent’s identity into the Gemini logo system. The rename appears to be a pre-I/O 2026 staging move; the agent is expected to drive multi-step task automation across Google surfaces such as Chrome and the Gemini app. Worth tracking ahead of next week’s keynote for the productized rollout. Source