The latest innovations from Google Cloud Next Sydney: An AI Recap
I'm back from attending Google Cloud Next in Sydney with the speed of powerful new AI-related developments definitely accelerating.
The overarching theme was clear: Google is not just talking about AI, they're providing the 'integrated' tools to build it, from the ground up, for every business. Here's a concise rundown of the most exciting developments worth exploring, so that you can be at the forefront of AI.
1. The Age of AI Agents is Here
This was the biggest takeaway. Google is doubling down on "agentic AI" and multi-agent systems. What does this mean for you? Read below for the latest updates you can start exploring for yourself!
For Google, we have major updates in Google Agentspace to make creating and adopting agents simpler. As of now, agent creation is easier thanks to the addition of the new no-code Agent Designer, which allows users of all technical skill levels to create custom agents for their individual workflows and needs. Plus, Agentspace now offers two expert, Google-built agents, Deep Research and Idea Generation — which join previously available tools like NotebookLM for Enterprise.
Other Agent updates:
Agent Development Kit (ADK): A new open-source framework that makes building sophisticated multi-agent systems far simpler.
Agent2Agent (A2A) Protocol: A new open protocol, created in collaboration with over 50 partners, that allows agents from different vendors and on different frameworks to communicate and collaborate. This is a game-changer for interoperability.
Google Agentspace: Designed to put AI agents into the hands of every employee, this platform makes it easy to create and manage custom agents for specific workflows.
2. A New Era of Models and Creative Tools
Google announced significant upgrades to their model suite, making it easier than ever to work with different media modalities. I’ve outlined these updates below:
Gemini 2.5: The latest versions of Google's flagship model, Gemini 2.5 Pro and Flash, are now available on Vertex AI. Pro is optimised for complex tasks, while Flash is built for speed and efficiency.
The Full Generative Media Suite: Vertex AI is now the only platform to offer models across video, image, speech, and music. This includes major updates to:
Veo 2: Google's video generation model with new editing and camera control features.
Imagen 3: Their highest-quality text-to-image model with improved generation and editing capabilities.
Chirp 3: Their audio generation model that now includes "Instant Custom Voice," letting you create custom voices with just 10 seconds of audio.
3. AI in Your Workflow
Google is embedding AI directly into the products you already use. Keep an eye out for these new features in Google Workspace including:
Google Docs: New audio capabilities let you create full audio versions of your documents. "Help me refine" offers a personal writing coach to improve your text.
Google Sheets: "Help me analyze" gives anyone an on-demand data analyst, guiding you to insights and creating charts from your data with natural language.
These updates show a clear move toward a more integrated, accessible, and collaborative AI ecosystem. It's a great time to start building, and these new releases provide some powerful new ways to do it, allowing beginners through to experts to get involved with the latest in AI.
