Google announced Gemini Spark at its I/O 2026 developer conference, a 24/7 personal AI agent built to take on long-horizon tasks on users' behalf while running continuously in the background on Google Cloud—even when devices are closed or locked.

Built on Gemini 3.5 and Google's Antigravity agentic harness, Spark differentiates itself through deep integration with Google's existing ecosystem. Out-of-the-box connections to Gmail, Google Docs, Slides, and other Workspace tools give it an immediate advantage over rivals like Anthropic's Claude Cowork and OpenAI's ChatGPT agent, which require users to set up permissions and connections manually.

Spark can handle complex recurring workflows—automatically parsing credit card statements, synthesizing meeting notes into polished documents, and monitoring inboxes for time-sensitive updates. Users can interact with Spark via a dedicated Gmail address, and the agent can browse the web directly through Chrome. Google is also launching new MCP connections to Canva, OpenTable, and Instacart, with more partners integrating throughout the summer.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai described Spark as the next evolution of digital assistants, emphasizing that it asks users before performing high-stakes actions like sending emails or spending money.

Spark is currently in trusted-tester preview and will roll out to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S. next week, with a broader Beta to follow.