Google introduces Gemini Spark, a 24/7 agentic assistant with Gmail integration

Google introduces Gemini Spark, a 24/7 agentic assistant with Gmail integration | TechCrunch

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Google introduces Gemini Spark, a 24/7 agentic assistant with Gmail integration

Russell Brandom

10:45 AM PDT · May 19, 2026

In the race to build compelling personal AI agents, Google may have an underrated advantage: It already has all your emails.

At its Google I/O developer conference on Tuesday, the company announced a new agentic personal assistant called Gemini Spark that was built from Gemini base models and an agentic harness from Google Antigravity.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai described Spark as the next evolution of smart digital assistants, using agentic AI to take on long-horizon tasks with minimal oversight.

"It’s your personal AI agent that helps you navigate your digital life, taking action on your behalf and under your direction," Pichai told reporters during a pre-briefing of the product. "It runs on dedicated virtual machines on Google Cloud seamlessly, [so] you don’t need to keep your laptop open to make sure it’s running."

Spark follows a wave of popular agentic products from major AI labs, most notably Anthropic’s Claude Cowork and OpenAI’s ChatGPT agent, but it will have particular value because of its integration with the larger Google suite of products. Spark will include out-of-the-box integrations with Gmail, Google Docs, and other Google Workspace products, saving users the work of setting up connections and permissions with outside apps.

Users can email Spark directly through a dedicated Gmail address, and the agent can interact with the web directly through Chrome. On mobile, you’ll also be able to track the agent’s progress through the new Android Halo system.

"Need to send an email to your boss with a status update? Spark can pull all the facts from your emails, your docs, your sheets, and slides and write the draft for you," said Google Labs’ Josh Woodward, VP of the Gemini App and AI Studio. "Small businesses are using Spark. They can watch over their inbox, so they never miss a question from a customer."

Like other agentic assistants, Spark can be integrated into a wide range of services over MCP, and Google expects to roll out more connections in the months to come.

Spark is currently in testing at Google; the company expects to make it available to Google AI Ultra subscribers next week.

Topics

agentic AI assistant, AI, gemini, Gemini Spark, Google I/O, google io 2026

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Russell Brandom

AI Editor

Russell Brandom has been covering the tech industry since 2012, with a focus on platform policy and emerging technologies. He previously worked at The Verge and Rest of World, and has written for Wired, The Awl and MIT’s Technology Review.<br>He can be reached at russell.brandom@techcrunch.com or on Signal at 412-401-5489.

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Google introduces Gemini Spark, a 24/7 agentic assistant with Gmail integration

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