Google packed a lot into a single pre-I/O event on May 12: new AI-first laptops branded "Googlebooks," deeper Gemini integration across Android and Chrome, home screen widgets built through vibe coding, and a refreshed Android Auto.
The Googlebooks are the headline hardware play - AI-native laptops designed to run Gemini features both locally and in the cloud. Google is positioning them as its answer to Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs, built around its own AI rather than OpenAI's.
The vibe-coded Android widgets are the most visible AI code generation demo in the lineup. Vibe coding means describing what you want in plain language and having AI produce the underlying code - here, users describe a custom home screen widget and Gemini builds it. Whether the output works reliably for non-developers is the test that matters.
Gemini is also getting more agentic capabilities on Android. Agentic means the assistant can now take multi-step actions on your behalf - booking appointments, managing emails, searching and acting across apps - rather than just responding to questions. Google has been positioning this as the future for over a year, and the announcement suggests real delivery is close.
Gemini in Chrome puts Google's assistant directly in the browser, competing with what Microsoft has been doing with Copilot in Edge. For people who work entirely inside Chrome - which covers most of the world - an embedded AI assistant is more convenient than a separate tab or standalone app.
Android Auto is getting updates too, though specifics from the event were light. Google I/O, coming shortly after this preview, is where the full details should land.