Google AI Updates: July 1, 2026

1. Google Launches Nano Banana 2 Lite and Gemini Omni Flash

Google. Google released two new generative media models: Nano Banana 2 Lite, a text-to-image model that produces outputs in 4 seconds at $0.034 per 1,000 images, and Gemini Omni Flash, a video generation and editing model priced at $0.10 per second of output that supports conversational editing via natural language. Both are available in Google AI Studio, the Gemini API, the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, and consumer apps including Search, the Gemini app, Google Photos, and NotebookLM. Google positioned the pair as a unified pipeline, letting developers generate an image with Nano Banana 2 Lite and pass it to Gemini Omni Flash to animate into video. Source

2. Google Reports UK Workplace AI Use Has Doubled to 73%

Google. Google’s latest Economic Impact Report found that workplace AI usage in the UK reached 73% of the workforce, up from 34% in 2025, though only the top 15% of users, whom Google calls “AI Trailblazers,” see the strongest career benefits such as promotions and pay rises. The report estimates Google’s tools supported £140 billion in UK economic activity in 2025 and saved British workers 51 million hours per week. Alongside it, Google announced AI Works for Britain, an upskilling initiative aiming to train 10 million workers in AI skills by 2030, building on its Google Digital Garage program. Source