News from the AI & ML world

DeeperML - #google

@google.github.io //
Google Cloud has announced the public preview of Vertex AI Agent Engine Memory Bank, a significant advancement for developers building conversational AI agents. This new managed service is designed to empower agents with long-term memory, enabling them to maintain context, personalize interactions, and remember user preferences across multiple sessions. This addresses a critical limitation in current AI agent development, where agents often "forget" previous interactions, leading to repetitive conversations and a less engaging user experience. Memory Bank aims to eliminate this by providing a persistent and up-to-date information store for agents.

The integration of Memory Bank with the Google Agent Development Kit (ADK) and support for popular frameworks like LangGraph and CrewAI are key features of this announcement. Developers can now leverage Memory Bank to create more sophisticated and stateful agents that can recall past conversations and user details, leading to more natural and efficient interactions. The service utilizes Google's powerful Gemini models to extract and manage these memories, ensuring that agents have access to relevant and accurate information. This move by Google Cloud is set to streamline the development of truly personalized and context-aware AI assistants.

This release marks a crucial step forward in making AI agents more helpful and human-like. By moving beyond the limitations of solely relying on an LLM's context window, which can be expensive and inefficient, Memory Bank offers a robust solution for managing an agent's knowledge. This capability is essential for building production-ready AI agents that can handle complex user needs and provide consistent, high-quality assistance over time. The public preview availability signifies Google Cloud's commitment to providing developers with the tools needed to innovate in the rapidly evolving field of generative AI.

Recommended read:
References :

Robby Payne@chromeunboxed.com //
Google is significantly enhancing its Gemini AI integration across its product ecosystem, signaling a major push to make AI a more seamless part of users' daily digital experiences. The Gemini app has received a visual refresh with a new, colorful icon that aligns it with Google's core branding, appearing on both Android and iPhone devices. This updated branding signifies Gemini's growing importance within Google's suite of services.

In addition to the visual update, Google is rolling out a more functional Android widget for Gemini. This widget is designed to offer users quicker and more intuitive access to Gemini's AI capabilities directly from their homescreen. These improvements highlight Google's commitment to deepening AI integration, making Gemini more accessible and useful across its platforms. Furthermore, Gemini's capabilities are expanding to Wear OS, with support beginning to roll out to smartwatches.

Beyond app and device integrations, Google continues to advance Gemini's features. The company has introduced a new photo-to-video feature powered by its Veo 3 AI model, allowing users to transform static images into short video clips with AI-generated sound. This feature, now available through the Gemini app, expands creative possibilities. Google is also making strides in professional applications, with advancements in Google Meet's AI note-taking for smarter summaries and enhanced host controls, and the Vertex AI Agent Engine offering Memory Bank for persistent agent conversations, further solidifying Gemini's role as a versatile AI assistant.

Recommended read:
References :
  • chromeunboxed.com: Google gives the Gemini app a new colorful icon and a more useful Android widget
  • chromeunboxed.com: I just tried Gemini’s new photo-to-video feature, and I’m blown away
  • Shelly Palmer: Google launched photo-to-video capabilities in Gemini yesterday, allowing users to transform static images into eight-second video clips with AI-generated sound.
  • TestingCatalog: What we know so far: Gemini 2.5 Pro Deep Think (kingfall) might likely arrive next week. Google is also working on a new Agent Mode - a tool for “Autonomous Exploration, Planning and Executionâ€
  • Data Phoenix: Google now offers a photo-to-video feature for Veo 3 through the Gemini app

Ellie Ramirez-Camara@Data Phoenix //
Google's Gemini app is now offering a powerful new photo-to-video feature, allowing AI Pro and Ultra subscribers to transform still images into dynamic eight-second videos complete with AI-generated sound. This enhancement, powered by Google's advanced Veo 3 AI model, has already seen significant user engagement, with over 40 million videos generated since the model's launch. Users can simply upload a photo, provide a text prompt describing the desired motion and any audio cues, and Gemini brings the image to life with remarkable realism. The results have been described as cinematic and surprisingly coherent, with Gemini demonstrating an understanding of objects, depth, and context to create subtle camera pans, rippling water, or drifting clouds while maintaining image stability. This feature, previously available in Google's AI filmmaking tool Flow, is now rolling out more broadly across the Gemini app and web.

In parallel with these advancements in creative AI, Google Cloud is enabling companies like Jina AI to build robust and scalable systems. Google Cloud Run is empowering Jina AI to construct a secure and reliable web scraping system, specifically optimizing container lifecycle management for browser automation. This allows Jina AI to efficiently execute large models, such as a 1.5-billion-parameter model, directly on Cloud Run GPUs. This integration highlights Google Cloud's role in providing the infrastructure necessary for cutting-edge AI development and deployment, ensuring that organizations can handle complex tasks with enhanced efficiency and scalability.

Furthermore, the broader impact of AI on the technology industry is being underscored by the opening of the 2025 DORA survey. DORA research indicates that AI is fundamentally transforming every stage of the software development lifecycle, with a significant 76% of technologists relying on AI in their daily work. The survey aims to provide valuable insights into team practices and identify opportunities for growth, building on previous findings that show AI positively impacts developer well-being and job satisfaction when organizations adopt transparent AI strategies and governance policies. The survey encourages participation from technologists worldwide, offering a chance to contribute to a global snapshot of the AI landscape in technology teams.

Recommended read:
References :
  • chromeunboxed.com: I just tried Gemini’s new photo-to-video feature, and I’m blown away
  • Shelly Palmer: Google’s Gemini Can Now Turn Your Photos Into Videos
  • Data Phoenix: Google now offers a photo-to-video feature for Veo 3 through the Gemini app
  • The Tech Basic: Google Expands Veo 3 Capabilities with Photo to Video Feature in Gemini App

M.G. Siegler@Spyglass //
In a significant development in the AI landscape, Google DeepMind has successfully recruited Windsurf's CEO, Varun Mohan, and key members of his R&D team. This strategic move follows the collapse of OpenAI's rumored $3 billion acquisition deal for the AI coding startup Windsurf. The unexpected twist saw Google swooping in to license Windsurf's technology for $2.4 billion and securing top talent for its own advanced projects. This development signals a highly competitive environment for AI innovation, with major players actively seeking to bolster their capabilities.

Google's acquisition of Windsurf's leadership and technology is primarily aimed at strengthening its DeepMind division, particularly for agentic coding projects and the enhancement of its Gemini model. Varun Mohan and co-founder Douglas Chen are expected to spearhead efforts in developing AI agents capable of writing test code, refactoring projects, and automating developer workflows. This integration is poised to boost Google's position in the AI coding sector, directly countering OpenAI's attempts to enhance its expertise in this critical area. The financial details of Google's non-exclusive license for Windsurf's technology have been kept confidential, but the substantial sum indicates the high value placed on Windsurf's innovations.

The fallout from the failed OpenAI deal has left Windsurf in a precarious position. While the company remains independent and will continue to license its technology, it has lost its founding leadership and a portion of its technical advantage. Jeff Wang has stepped up as interim CEO to guide the company, with the majority of its 250 employees remaining. The situation highlights the intense competition and the fluid nature of talent acquisition in the rapidly evolving AI industry, where startups like Windsurf can become caught between tech giants vying for dominance.

Recommended read:
References :
  • Maginative: OpenAI's Windsurf Deal is Dead — Google just Poached the CEO Instead
  • TestingCatalog: Countdown starts for Deep Think rollout while Agent Mode surfaces in code
  • bdtechtalks.com: Google’s reaps the rewards as OpenAI’s deal to acquire Windsurf collapses
  • The Tech Basic: Google DeepMind Snaps Up Windsurf CEO After OpenAI Deal Unravels
  • bdtechtalks.com: The post details the collapse of OpenAI's deal to acquire Windsurf.
  • devops.com: OpenAI’s $3 billion bid to buy artificial intelligence (AI) coding startup Windsurf crumbled late Friday, and rival Alphabet Inc.’s Google quickly picked up the pieces
  • thetechbasic.com: Google DeepMind Snaps Up Windsurf CEO After OpenAI Deal Unravels