Google AI Updates: August 28, 2026

1. Google Ships Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash With Finer Video Controls

Google. Google released Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash, a production-ready update to its generative video model that adds creative controls for developers. New capabilities include scene extension in 10-second increments up to 40 seconds using up to 10 seconds of prior context, keyframe control to set starting and ending frames of a shot, a 360p draft mode that previews up to 60% faster at a third of the cost of 720p, 4K upscaling, and video references of up to three seconds for visual consistency. It is available through Google AI Studio, the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform API, and Google AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscriptions via Google Flow and the Gemini app. Source

2. DeepMind Pilots First Double-Blind Evaluation of a Frontier Model

Google. Google DeepMind said it ran what it calls the world’s first double-blind evaluation of a proprietary, frontier-class AI model, using cryptographic methods to stop benchmark contamination in which a model could see test questions in advance. The pilot tested a Gemini Flash Lite model against confidential benchmarks in a privacy-preserving environment built on Google Cloud Confidential Computing, so external evaluators cannot see model weights and Google cannot see test prompts. The work was conducted with the Singapore AI Safety Institute, OpenMined, AVERI, and MLCommons, and targets sensitive assessments such as cybersecurity and government evaluations. Source

3. Google Adds Flight Tracking and Hotel Booking to Search AI Mode

Google. Google introduced three travel features in AI Mode for Search: flight price tracking with email alerts drawing on more than 300 airline and travel partners across over 180 countries, display of points and miles redemption rates for flights and hotels with launch partners including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Choice Hotels, Hilton, and Wyndham, and in-app hotel booking that completes payment through Google Pay via a Continue on Google option. The hotel booking rollout includes Booking.com, Expedia, and Marriott and is launching in the U.S. Source