Google I/O draws usefulness critiques

Google spent its May 19 I/O keynote putting Gemini deeper into Search, Android, Workspace, shopping and developer tools, while also adding new paid AI offerings and new agent features. The company framed the event as the next step in what Chief Executive Sundar Pichai called the “agentic Gemini era.” Critics did not dispute the scale of the rollout. Their complaint was that the event’s breadth made it harder to see which changes would deliver clear user value. ### Why did the reaction turn so quickly from launch list to usefulness test? Droid Life wrote on May 22 that it had “came away feeling empty” after the keynote, even though Google announced “100 things” at I/O. That reaction captured a broader complaint visible across post-event coverage: the company showed Gemini almost everywhere, but outside observers were still asking what specific tasks got materially better. (blog.google) Sundar Pichai said in Google’s keynote transcript that “people want to see the value in the products they use every day,” and said Google had been “really focused on that.” That line mattered because it showed Google was already addressing the same question critics later raised. ### Where did Google actually put Gemini at I/O? (droid-life.com) Google’s I/O announcement collection said the company was “unlocking agents and agentic experiences” across Search, the Gemini app, shopping and new form factors, while also scaling Gemini across products including Workspace tools and YouTube-related features. The event also introduced Gemini Omni, Gemini 3.5 Flash and updates to Google Antigravity, its agent-focused developer platform. (blog.google) Josh Woodward, vice president for Google Labs, wrote that the Gemini app now includes Daily Brief, Gemini Spark and a redesigned interface, and said Google’s desktop app would integrate Spark so it could operate on a local machine. Google also said Neural Expressive, the app redesign, was rolling out globally across the web, Android and iOS. (blog.google) ### Why did the 900 million user figure matter so much? Google said on May 19 that more than 900 million people now use Gemini each month, up from 400 million a year earlier. Pichai’s keynote also said Google now processes more than 3.2 quadrillion tokens a month across its surfaces and that more than 8.5 million developers are building with its models monthly. (blog.google) Those numbers gave Google a concrete adoption case at a conference dominated by product sprawl. Infobae, citing the New York Times, highlighted the 900 million figure in coverage arguing that Google was beginning to gain ground in the AI race, and a Yahoo Finance item similarly tied the number to Google’s broader search overhaul. (blog.google) ### Why are critics saying ubiquity is not enough? EWeek’s recap said Google pushed agentic AI into Gemini, Search, Android, Workspace, shopping, video and a new AI Ultra plan. That breadth supported Google’s claim that AI is becoming a layer across its products, but it also sharpened the question of whether users would experience a coherent service or a larger AI footprint. (finance.yahoo.com) Pichai said in the keynote that “these stories of how people are using AI are the best measure of progress.” That is close to the standard critics are applying now: not how many surfaces include Gemini, but whether the tools save time, complete tasks reliably and earn trust in everyday use. That framing is an inference from the coverage and Google’s own remarks about value, not a direct statement from the company. (eweek.com) ### What should readers watch next? Google’s official I/O 2026 collection remains the central source for rollout timing, including updates on Search, Workspace, shopping and Gemini app features announced on May 19. The next useful test will be product availability and user uptake for named features such as Gemini Spark, Daily Brief and the paid AI tiers Google promoted at the conference. (blog.google 1) (blog.google 2)