Google DeepMind launched Gemini 3.8 Live and Gemini 3.8 Live Extended Thinking on September 15, 2026, its most advanced native speech-to-speech models for real-time voice agents. At $1.38 per hour of voice conversation, the models significantly undercut OpenAI's GPT-Live-1 pricing while topping the Artificial Analysis speech-to-speech leaderboard.
The three leading AI companies have been in discussions since July 2026 to create an industry standards body focused on AI safety, testing, and auditing. OpenAI's global policy chief Chris Lehane confirmed the collaboration on Tuesday, following Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's public call for industry coordination on safety measures.
Jacob Coxon and other AI researchers have resigned from leading companies including Anthropic and Google DeepMind, publicly warning that AI development could pose existential risks to humanity by 2030. Coxon estimated a more than 10% chance of human extinction within the next decade, sparking renewed debate about AI safety.
Google DeepMind and Google Research launched WeatherNext 3, an AI weather forecasting model that learns directly from real-time satellite data rather than physics simulations. The model delivers hourly forecasts at 5-kilometer resolution—five times more detailed than its predecessor—and is designed to improve predictions for renewable energy production, precipitation, and localized weather events.
Barret Zoph, co-founder of Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab, has joined Google DeepMind as vice president of research. The move follows his abrupt departure from Thinking Machines after a conflict with CEO Murati and a brief tenure at OpenAI lasting less than six months.
Google DeepMind is investing approximately $75 million in independent film studio A24 as part of a research partnership to develop AI-powered tools for editing and visual effects. The collaboration will allow A24 filmmakers to help shape the technology, though Google will not have access to the studio's film library.
John Jumper, who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on AlphaFold, announced he is departing Google DeepMind after nearly nine years to join rival AI lab Anthropic. His departure follows recent exits of other prominent Google AI researchers including Noam Shazeer and David Silver.
CEOs from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind joined G7 leaders at the summit in France to discuss creating an international forum for AI standards, as tensions continue over U.S. government orders restricting Anthropic's latest AI models citing national security concerns.
