google announces I/O 2026 dates: May 19–20 with AI-heavy agenda
Google has confirmed that its I/O developer conference will take place May 19th–20th, 2026 (ET), returning to Mountain View’s Shoreline Amphitheatre for in-person sessions and an online program. The company says it will share the "latest AI breakthroughs and updates in products across the company, from Gemini to Android and more, " with a keynote scheduled for the morning of May 19th.
What to expect at I/O 2026
Organizers have signaled that the two-day event will follow the familiar I/O formula of keynotes from company leaders, fireside chats, hands-on demos, and technical sessions for developers. Artificial intelligence is expected to dominate the agenda: the company highlighted Gemini by name and flagged product updates spanning the search engine, Chrome, Workspace apps, Android, and Pixel devices.
Last year’s conference brought a raft of AI announcements, from broader rollout of AI features in search to new creative tools for video and imaging. With that context in mind, this year’s presentations are likely to showcase model advances, integrations that surface AI capabilities across consumer and productivity products, and developer tools that enable partners to build on the platform’s models and APIs. Expect product preview demos, technical deep dives, and probably avatar-style showcases for multimodal features.
How the company is teasing I/O — community puzzle and mini-games
The buildup to I/O includes a playful tease: a multi-stage puzzle experience titled "Make Build Unlock. " The interactive sequence comprises five "builds, " each a mini-game that leverages the company’s Gemini model. Players progress through levels that are designed to be remixed in AI Studio, and community play fills a shared progress bar that unlocks the final reveal.
One of the builds is a mini-golf game where players click and hold to aim and set power, navigating obstacles while receiving hints from a Gemini-powered caddy. Early levels incorporate familiar brand mascots as obstacles and reward cooperative completion; once community engagement reaches the required threshold, the conference dates are revealed. The puzzle mechanic mirrors last year’s approach and doubles as a marketing hook and a demonstration of the model’s interactive capabilities.
Registration, logistics, and what developers should know
Developer registration is open starting today. Attendees should plan for a morning keynote kickoff on May 19th (ET) and a schedule of sessions that will be released closer to the event. The in-person program will be hosted at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, with parallel online coverage for remote attendees who want to tune in to keynotes and select sessions.
For developers and enterprise teams, I/O remains one of the primary opportunities to learn about platform changes, API updates, and roadmap signals for the upcoming year. Registration will likely include access tiers for in-person attendance, developer sandbox sessions, and virtual tracks focused on model integration, Android platform updates, and productivity app extensions.
As the countdown continues, the community puzzle and the promise of heavy AI content make this year’s I/O one to watch for new model releases, feature rollouts across flagship products, and fresh tooling for creators and developers.
